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LETTERS 



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OF 



ISAAC PENINGTON, 



AN EMINENT MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL 



IN 



StW $M\t% Of Jrfflttfe. 



"He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he 

HATH SiiNT EMPTY AWAY." — LUKE i. 53. 



PHILADELPHIA: 

PUBLISHED BY THE 

ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDS FOR THE DIFFUSION OF RELIGIOUS 
AND USEFUL KNOWLEDGE. 

1858. 




2 

14 

47 



$*•*& 
^ 






PKEFACE. 



The following letters form part of a collection pub- 
lished by John Barclay in England in 1828, and since re- 
published in this country. Their author, Isaac Penington, 
was a member and minister of the religious society of Friends, 
and was the son of Alderman Penington, of London, who 
during two years was Mayor of that city, and a noted mem- 
ber of the Long Parliament. The letters were written at 
various intervals between the time at which Isaac Penington 
joined the Society of Friends, which was about the year 
1658, and his death, which took place in 1679. 

Both the English and American editions having been ex- 
hausted, it has been thought that it might be useful to re- 
print such of the letters as could be comprised in a volume 
of this series. With reference to economy of space, the selec- 
tion is chiefly confined to those which are hortatory in cha- 
racter. 

Probably few have realized with more fulness the spiritual 
nature of Christianity than did Isaac Penington. His own 
relation of what befell him in his pursuit after truth cannot 
fail, therefore, to be deeply instructive. 

"I was acquainted," he says, "with a spring of life from my childhood, 
which enlightened me in my tender years, and pointed my heart towards 
the Lord, begetting true sense in me, and faith, and hope, and love, and 
humility, and meekness, &c, so that indeed I was a wonder to some that 
knew me, because of the savor and life of religion which dwelt in my 
heart and appeared in my conversation. 

" But I never durst trust the spring of my life, and the springings up 
of life therefrom; but, in reading the Scriptures, gathered what know- 
ledge I could therefrom, and set this over the spring and springings of life 
in me, and indeed judged that I ought so to do. 

" Notwithstanding which, the Lord was very tender and merciful to me, 

3 



4 PREFACE. 

helping me to pray, and helping me to understand the Scriptures, and 
opening and warming my heart every day. 

" And truly my soul was very near the Lord, and my heart was made 
and preserved very low and humble before him, and very sensible of his 
rich love and mercy to me in the Lord Jesus Christ ; as I did daily from 
my heart cry grace, grace, unto him, in every thing my soul received and 
partook of from him. 

" Indeed, I did not look to have been so broken, shattered, and distressed 
as I afterwards was, and could by no means understand the meaning 
thereof, my heart truly and earnestly desiring after the Lord, and not 
having the sense of any guilt upon me. Divers came to see me, some to 
inquire into and consider of my condition ; others to bewail it, and if pos- 
sible administer some relief, help, and comfort to me : and divers were the 
judgments they had concerning me. Some would say it was deep melan- 
choly ; others would narrowly search, and inquire how, and in what man- 
ner, and in what way, I had walked, and were jealous that I had sinned 
against the Lord and provoked him some way or other, and that some 
iniquity lay as a load upon me: but, after thorough converse with me, 
they would still express that they were of another mind, and that the 
hand of the Lord was in it, and it was an eminent case, and would end in 
good to my soul. 

" At that time, when I was broken and dashed to pieces in my religion, 
I was in a congregational way, but soon after parted with them, yet in 
great love, relating to them how the hand of the Lord was upon me, and 
how I was smitten in the inward part of my religion, and could not now 
hold up an outward form of that which I inwardly wanted, having lost my 
God, my Christ, my faith, my knowledge, my life, my all. And so we 
parted very lovingly, I wishing them well, even the presence of that God 
whom I wanted, promising to return to them again if ever I met with that 
which my soul wanted, and had clearness in the Lord so to do. 

"After I was parted from them, I never joined to any way or people; 
but lay mourning day and night, pleading with the Lord why he had for- 
saken me, and why I should be made so miserable through my love to 
him and sincere desires after him. For truly I can say, I had not been 
capable of so much misery as my soul lay in for many years, had not my 
love been so deep and true towards the Lord my God, and my desires so 
great after the sensible enjoyment of his spirit according to the promise 
and way of the gospel. Yet this I can also say, in uprightness of heart : it 
was not gifts I desired, to appear and shine before men in ; but grace and 
holiness, and the spirit of the Lord dwelling in me, to act my heart by 
his grace, and to preserve me in holiness. 

" Now indeed the Lord at length had compassion on me, and visited me, 
though in a time and way wherein I expected him not ; nor was I willing, 
as to the natural part, to have that the way which God showed me to be 
the way ; but the Lord opened my eye, and that which I knew to be of him 



PREFACE. 5 

in me closed with it and owned it ; and the pure seed was raised by his 
power, and my heart taught to know and own the seed, and to bow and 
worship before the Lord in the pure power which was then in my heart. 
So that of a truth I sensibly knew and felt my Saviour, and was taught 
by him to take up the cross, and to deny that understanding, knowledge, 
and wisdom which had so long stood in my way ; and then I learned that 
lesson, being really taught it of the Lord, what it is to become a fool for 
Christ's sake. I cannot say but I had learned somewhat of it formerly; but 
I never knew how to keep to what I had learned till that day. 

" And then God showed me by degrees, as He nurtured me up in the 
heavenly sense and experience of His spirit, the workings of the good in 
me, and the workings of the subtlety ; and how Himself had, in times 
past, taught me to pray, and to understand the Scriptures, and to believe 
in His Son, and to know some things aright ; but, withal, how a knowledge 
and understanding of another nature had crept in and gained ground 
upon me, — which indeed I knew not how to distinguish thoroughly from 
the other and watch against ; and so the Truth came not to live in me, nor 
I to live in that, according to the utmost desire and travail of my soul. 

" But now of a truth, by this blessed visitation of the everlasting gospel, 
the Lord hath at length brought me back to the same spring I was 
acquainted with at first, and joined my heart in true sense and under- 
standing to it ; so that the life that I live is by the springing up of life in 
me ; and I know the Lord my God, by being daily taught by Him so to do ; 
and I love Him, by feeling my heart circumcised and constrained through 
the new nature thereunto. And truly it is natural to the good seed in 
me, and to my soul in and through the same, to trust my Father, and to 
suffer any thing that He requires of me, who freely giveth me both to do 
and to suffer ; for indeed I live not of myself, but by a continual gift, and 
quickening of life in my heart. 

" And oh that others could also come to hear the testimony of truth 
and life from God's Holy Spirit, and be turned thereby to the pure prin- 
ciple and spirit of life itself, (which many formerly had a true taste of, 
but are now turned aside to another nature and spirit, though they them- 
selves know it not,) that they might witness the gospel-power, and know 
the spiritual and heavenly Jerusalem who is the mother and bringer-up 
of all that are truly living!" 

At another time he writes, " But some may desire to know what I have 
at last met with ; I answer, I have met with the Seed. Understand that 
word, and thou wilt be satisfied, and inquire no further. I have met with 
my God, I have met with my Saviour ; and he hath not been present with 
me without his salvation, but I have felt the healings drop upon my soul 
from under his wings ; I have met with the true knowledge, the knowledge 
of life, the living knowledge, the knowledge which is life, and this hath 
had the true virtue in it, which my soul hath rejoiced in, in the presence 
of the Lord. I have met with the true spirit of prayer and supplication, 

1* 



G PREFACE. 

n the Lord is prevailed with, and which draws from him whatever 
the condition needs, the soul always looking np to him in the will, and in 
the time and way which is acceptable with him. What shall I say? I have 
met with the true peace, the true right 

true rest of the soul, the everlasting habitation, which the redeemed dwell 
in. And I know all these to be true, in Him thai is true, and am capable 
of no ute. or reasoning in my mind about them, it abiding there 

where it hath received the full assurance and satisfaction. And also I 
know very well and distinctly in spirit, where the doubts and disj bee 
and where - . y and full assurance is. and in the tender mer 

the Lord am pre A of the one, and in the other." 

devoted was Isaac Penington to the service of his 
Master, that, in common with many of his fellow-members, 
he was forced to undergo the punishment of human law for 
fulfilling what he believed to be the commands of the divine. 
Six times he was taken to jail for declining to take oaths, 
or for meeting with his friends to worship in a mode 
approved by the Established Church, and in these imprison- 
ments spent nearly five years of his life. It also appears 
that certain designing relatives, knowing their conscientious 
scruple against swearing, had involved him and his wife in 
a suit in chancery, where their answer without an oath was 
invalid. This resulted in the loss of his estate ; and during 
one of the terms of his imprisonment his family were turned 
out of his house by the panics who had seized it, and were 
forced tb . ard to depend upon the property of his wife 

for their subsistence. But through these mani: le his 

faith was firm. Having surrendered his will to his Maker, 
and having entered the path of duty, in quest of that happi- 
ness which he knew existed not elsewhere, he was 
while running the race, to keep in sight the crown which 
lay at the end. 

While we feel that an adequate impression of Isaac Pen- 
ington' s character cannot be conveyed within the limits of a 
short preface, yet we can but refer to one feature of it 
which held a marked prominence. We allude to the strong 
current of his sympathies towards any who might be suffering 



PREFACE. 7 

mental or spiritual distress. Having himself lived through 
weary years of loneliness of spirit, his heart was ready to 
be touched by the condition of those who in darkness were 
longing for the light of truth. So deep was at times the 
tenderness of his sorrowing solicitude on behalf of these, 
that his whole soul seemed to enter into feeling with them ; 
and among the letters here published there are several 
which bear witness to the zeal of his endeavors to point 
them to the way of life. 

The following extract from a testimony concerning him, 
written by his friend Thomas Ellwood, beautifully portrays 
his Christian character : — 

" As he had freely received of the Lord, so did he freely and 
readily communicate thereof, as the following sheets do wit- 
ness, unto such as stood in need of counsel, advice, informa- 
tion, or direction in their travel to the heavenly country. 
To which service he was fitted, and very well furnished by 
the experiences of his own travel ; for the Lord had led him 
through many a strait and difficulty, through many tempta- 
tions, trials, and exercises, by which He had tried and proved 
him : not only through the Red Sea and the wilderness had 
he passed, but the bottom of Jordan also had he seen, and 
the upholding, delivering arm of the Lord through all he 
had known and felt ; whereby he was able to speak a word 
of information to the bewildered passenger, a word of en- 
couragement to the weary and fainting traveller, a word of 
comfort to the afflicted soul, and of consolation to the 
wounded spirit. And oh, how sweetly have I heard it flow 
from him ! how has it dropped like the dew and distilled like 
the gentle rain ! Ah, how tender, how compassionate, how 
full of bowels and feeling sympathy was he ! Surely His 
words have been many times like apples of gold in pictures 
of silver. For of a truth the Lord was with him, and his 
heavenly power did often fill his Temple ; and the spirit of 
the Lord rested upon him, and the fruits thereof were plenti- 



8 PREFACE. 

fully brought forth through him in love, in joy, in peace, in 
long-suffering, in gentleness, in goodness, in faith, in meek- 
ness, and in temperance, so richly did the word of the Lord 
dwell in him. His delight was in the service of God, to 
which he was wholly given up, and in it spent most of his 
time, either publicly in meetings waiting upon God, or 
privately in visiting and ministering unto those that were 
distressed or anyway afflicted in mind or body ; and, when 
at home, he was frequent in retirements and very inward 
with the Lord. Very fervent he was in prayer, and very 
frequent ; for the spirit of grace and supplication was plenti- 
fully poured upon him, by which he often wrestled with the 
Lord, and not in vain. The Holy Scriptures he read much, 
and with great delight and profit ; for he made it not a cur- 
sory or formal business, nor sought to pick out the meaning 
by his natural wit or learning, but, with a great composedness 
of mind and reverence of spirit, waited to receive the true 
sense of them from the openings of that Divine Spirit by 
which the penmen of them were inspired. Great and strong 
was the travail of his spirit for the conversion of others, 
and in a more especial manner did his love flow and bowels 
yearn after the professors of religion, for whom he continu- 
ally and earnestly labored both by word and writing, not 
ceasing to seek them to his dying day, that they might be 
brought off from the shadows and come at length to inherit 
substance. And, blessed be the Lord, by the powerful ope- 
ration of the Spirit of God, through his ministry many 
were turned to the truth and many confirmed in it ; for the 
Lord was with him, and spake by him, so that his teaching 
was with divine authority, in the demonstration of the spirit 
and of power. To the world and the affairs of it he was 
very much a stranger, but deeply experienced in the things 
of God ; for, his affection being set on things above, his con- 
versation was in heaven, and his life hid with Christ in God. 
He was but a pilgrim on the earth, and is now gone home." 






CONTENTS. 



LETTER PAGE 

I. Of a Growth in Grace amidst Distressing Exer- 
cises of Spirit To Bridget Atley 13 

II. The Compassion of the Shepherd of the Flock 
towards the Weak, &c. — How they should fol- 
low Him. To Friends 16 

III. On Searching after the Hidden Treasure and 

Selliog all for it. To Catherine Pordage 18 

IV. The Duty of being Content with what is made 

known 21 

V. On Faith in the Healing Power of Christ 23 

VI. Advice to One respecting the Dark Suggestions 

of the Enemy 25 

VII. On True Judgment, and on Prejudices ; also on 
the Variety of Gifts and Stations in the 
Church. To Friends of Truth in and about 

the Two Chalfonts 28 

VIII. The Day of God's Power and Love. To John 

Mannock 31 

IX. On Simplicity of Faith and Dedication. To 

John Mannock 37 

X. Advice and Sympathy under Trial. To Eliza- 
beth Walmsley 40 

9 



10 



CONTENTS. 



LETTER PAGE 

XI. Of Obedience in Confessing Christ; also 
on the Light of Christ. To Elizabeth 
Stonar , 41 

XII. Encouragement to Faithfulness under Ap- 
prehension of Sufferings. To Widow 
Hemmings 43 

XIII. Exhortation relative to the Christian Life 

and Travel. To Dulcibella Layton 45 

XIV. Comfort and Counsel to One under Af- 

fliction. To the Lady Conway 47 

XV. On the Benefit of Chastening by Afflictions. 

To the Lady Conway 49 

XVI. On being ingrafted into Christ, being pre- 
served alive in Him, and growing up to 

Him in all things. To S. W. 53 

XVII. Counsel to One tossed as with Tempests.... 58 
XVIII. Encouragement under Trials incident to 

Bearing the Cross of Christ 60 

XIX. On being offended with those who fall into 

Temptation 61 

XX. On Shunning the Cross. To Catherine 

Pordage 63 

XXI. On Love, Meekness, and Watching over 

each other. To Friends in Amersham... 64 
XXII. On the Spiritual Appearance of Christ 66 

XXIII. To One under Divine Visitation 67 

XXIV. Encouragement to look up to the Lord 

amidst His Chastenings, and the Smitings 

of the Enemy 69 

XXV. On Unreserved Obedience. To Bridget 

Atley 72 

XXVI. Afflictions may Work out a Weight of 



CONTENTS. 



11 



LETTER PAGE 

Glory. To my Dear Suffering Friends in 

Scotland 75 

XXVII. An Invitation to Heavenly Substance 78 

XXVIII. Advice respecting Church Discipline. To 
the Women's Meeting of Friends in the 

Truth at John Mannock' 's 80 

XXIX. Of Preservation and a Growth in the Hea- 
venly Life — Its Power over the Earthly 
Nature. To the single, upright-hearted, 
and faithful Friends of Truth in and 

about the two Chalfonts 84 

XXX. On the True, Living, Heavenly Knowledge. 

To the Lady Conway 91 

XXXI. On Disputation, and on Hearing Wisdom's 
Voice; also respecting the Puritan 

State. To E. Terry 94 

XXXII. Advice as to Self-deceit on the Unity of the 
Spirit — The Younger are to submit to 
the Elder. To Miles Stanclif. 97 

XXXIII. The Loving-Kindness of the Lord. To 

Elizabeth Walmsley, of Giles- Chalfont.... 99 

XXXIV. On the Danger of Self-Complacency. To 

Catherine Pordage 100 

XXXV. Acknowledgment of Christ's Manhood. 

To Richard Roberts 102 

XXXVI. The Way to Life Narrow— Hard Things 
made Easy to the Obedient — Also some 
Answers to Objections on Prayer, &c. 
To Catherine Pordage 105 

XXXVII. The Scriptures exceedingly Precious — The 
Gospel a Ministration of the Spirit of 



12 



CONTENTS. 



LETTER PAGE 

Life in Christ Jesus — The Liability of 

Losing the Sense and Savor of this Ill 

XXXVIII. The Unsearchable Riches of Christ.— Be- 
lievers may Partake thereof through 
Obedience, and be Preserved from every 
Harm. To Friends of both the Chalfonts. 116 
XXXIX. Faithful Dealing between Brethren re- 
commended 124 



LETTERS OF ISAAC PENINGION. 



LETTER I. 



OF A GROWTH IN GRACE AMIDST DISTRESSING 
EXERCISES OF SPIRIT. 

To Bridget Atley. 
My dear Friend : — 

If thy heart come to feel the seed of God, and to 
wait upon him in the measure of his life, he will be 
tender of thee as a father of his child, and his love 
will be naturally breaking forth towards thee. This 
is the end of all his dealings with thee, to bring thee 
hither, to make thee fit and capable of entering and 
abiding here. And he hath changed, and doth change 
thy spirit daily; though it be as the shooting up of 
the corn, whose growth cannot be discerned at pre- 
sent by the most observing eye, but it is very manifest 
afterwards that it hath grown. My heart is refreshed 
for thy sake, rejoicing in the Lord's goodness towards 
thee; and that the blackness of darkness begins to 
scatter from thee, though the enemy be still striving 
the same way to enter and distress thee again. But 

2 13 



1-4 penington's letters. 

wait to feel the relieving measure of life, and heed 
not distressing thoughts, when they arise ever so 
strongly in thee \ nay, though they have entered thee, 
fear them not, but be still a while, not believing in 
the power which thou feelest they have over thee, and 
it will fall on a sudden. 

It is good for thy spirit, and greatly to thy advan- 
tage, to be much and variously exercised by the Lord. 
Thou dost not know what the Lord hath already done, 
and what he is yet doing for thee therein. Ah ! how 
precious it is to be poor, weak, low, empty, naked, 
distressed for Christ's sake, that way may be made 
for the power and glory of his life in the heart ! And, 
oh, learn, daily more and more, to trust him and hope 
in him, and not to be affrighted with any amazement, 
nor to be taken up with the sight of the present thing; 
but wait for the shutting of thy own eye upon every 
occasion, and for the opening of the eye of God in 
thee, and for the sight of things therewith, as they are 
from him. It is no matter what the enemy strives to 
do in thy heart, nor how distressed thy condition is, 
but what the Lord will do for thee, which is with 
patience to be waited for at his season in every con- 
dition. And though sin overtake, let not that bow 
down ; nor let the eye open in thee, which stands 
poring at that : but wait for the healing through the 
chastisement, and know there is an Advocate, who, 
in that hour, hath an office of love and a faithful 
heart towards thee. Yea, though thou canst not be- 
lieve, yet be not dismayed thereat ; thy Advocate, who 



penington's letters. 15 

undertakes thy cause, hath faith to give : only do 
thou sink into, or at least pant after the hidden 
measure of life, which is not in that which distress- 
ed, disturbeth, and filleth thee with thoughts, fears, 
troubles, anguish, darknesses, terrors, and the like ; 
no, no ! but in that which inclines to the patience, 
to the stillness, to the hope, to the waiting, to the 
silence before the Father : this is the same in nature, 
with the most refreshing and glorious-visiting life, 
though not the same in appearance 5 and, if thy mind 
be turned to it, not minding but overlooking the 
other, thou wilt find some of the same virtue spring- 
ing up in thy heart and soul, at least to stay thee. 

In and through these things, thou wilt become 
deeply acquainted with the nature of God, and know 
the wonderful riches and virtue of his life, the 
mightiness of his power, and the preciousness of his 
love, tenderness of his mercy, and infiniteness of his 
wisdom, the glory also, and exactness of his righteous- 
ness, &c. : thou wilt be made large in spirit to receive 
and drink in abundantly of them ; and the snares of 
the enemy will be so known to thee and discerned, 
the way of help so manifest and easy, that their 
strength will be broken, and the poor entangled bird 
will fly away singing, from the nets and entangle- 
ments of the fowler; and praises will spring up, and 
great love in thy heart to the Forgiver and Redeemer. 
Oh, wait, hope, trust, look up to thy God ! look over 
that which stands between ; come into his mercy ! 
let in the faith which openeth the way of life, which 



16 penington's letters. 

will shut out the distrusting and doubting mind, and 
will close up the wrong eye, that letteth in reason- 
ings and temptations, the wrong sense, and death 
with them. 

Thus majest thou witness, in and through thy 
Redeemer, the abundance of his life and peace. 

I. P. 



LETTER II. 






THE COMPASSION OF THE SHEPHERD OF THE FLOCK 
TOWARDS THE WEAK, ETC. — HOW THEY SHOULD 
FOLLOW HIM. 

To Friends. 
He that is weak and foolish among the lambs, con- 
tinually ready to wander, both out of the pastures 
and from the fold, and thus to betray his life into the 
hands of the enemy ; — he who is continually scatter- 
ing and squandering away what the Lord in mercy 
gathers for him, and freely bestows upon him ; who, 
through drowsiness and carelessness, hath lost the 
benefit of, and forfeited the sweet and tender visita- 
tions of the 3Iost High, and is now become dry, 
dead, barren, thick, earthy; — my God ! let that soul 
feel the stirrings of the springs of life, and find some 
encouragements from thee, to hope in the free and 
large mercies of the Shepherd of Israel; who casteth 
not off his sheep because of their wanderings, be- 



penington's letters. 17 

cause of their backslidings, because of their infirmi- 
ties, because of their diseases, nay, not because of 
their hardness; but pursues them with his love, 
findeth them out, visiteth with his correcting hand 
according to their need, woundeth with his sword, 
and melteth in his fire, until he hath made them 
tender and pliable, and then he pours in the fresh 
oil of his salvation and sweetly healeth them. 

my friends and brethren in the pure life ! be 
faithful to the Lord in returning him all the incomes 
of his Spirit; follow on in every drawing of his love, 
while any of the virtue of it lasts upon your spirits. 
Walk with him all the day long, and wait for him 
all the night season. And, in case of erring from 
him, or sinning grievously against him, be not dis- 
couraged; for he is a God of mercies, and delighteth 
in pardoning and forgiving much and very often. 
What tender mother can be more ready to forgive 
and embrace the child, that appears broken and 
afflicted with her sore displeasure ! Yea, He gives 
brokenness, He melteth the heart, that he may be 
tender towards, and embrace it in his arms of recon- 
ciliation, and in the peace of his Spirit. 

my dear companions, and fellow-travellers in 
spirit towards the land of the living ! all the motions 
of the life are cross to the corrupt [part] — dwell [in 
the life,] draw the yoke close about your necks, that 
ye may come into unity with the life, and the corrupt 
be worn out. Take the yoke, the cross, the con- 
trariety of Jesus upon your spirits daily ; that that 

2* 



18 penington's letters. 

may be worn out which hinders the unity, and so, ye 
may feel your King and Saviour exalted upon his 
throne in your hearts : this is your rest, peace, life, 
kingdom, and crown forever. I. p. 



LETTER III. 



ON SEARCHING FOR THE HIDDEN TREASURE, AND 
SET LING ALL FOR IT. 

itherine Pordage. 
Friend : — 

Thy estate and condition hath been pretty much 
with me since I last saw thee. I am sensible how 
hard it is for thee, to give up to be reached by the 
seed and power of life ; how readily and easily thy 
ear and heart is opened to another, and the adulterer 
entertained, who hunteth after the precious life. 
This word of advice hath been much in my heart to 
thee this morning : sit down and count the cost of 
ploughing up thy field, and of searching after the 
hidden treasure of pure and true wisdom, and con- 
sider seriously, whether thou canst sell all for it, both 
inward and outward riches ) that, if thou do set thy 
hand to the plough, thou mayest not look back after 
any thing else, within or without, but mayest be con- 
tent and satisfied with the pearl of true wisdom and 
life alone. 

Now, if thou be truly willing in God's sight thus 



penington's letters. 19 

to do, thou must singly give up to follow the Lord 
in the leadings of his Spirit, out of all the ways of 
thy own wisdom and knowledge, out of all things 
wherein thou hast a life and delight out of him ; 
thou must not determine what thou hast a life in, 
but the Lord musOearch thy heart, and he will soon 
show thee (if thy heart be naked and open before 
him, willing to hear and learn of him) somewhat in 
thy heart, somewhat in thy ways, somewhat in thy 
words, thoughts, &c. which is contrary to his pure 
life and Spirit; and then, that ~ f be denied and 
given up immediately. And af ds, perhaps the 

Lord will soon discover to thee another lover, which 
hath had more of thy heart than thou hast been 
aware of; and so, thou must part with one after 
another, until thou hast parted with all: and this 
will prepare thee for the bosom of thy Beloved, who 
is a jealous God, and seeth not with the eye where- 
with man seeth. But, if thou be not thus singly 
given up, though thou should put thy hand to the 
plough, thou wilt be looking back some time or 
other : and that wisdom which draweth aside from 
the Lord will blind thy eye and deceive thy mind, 
and draw thee from the simplicity and nakedness of 
Truth, into some image or other of it, so that, instead 
of the pure Truth itself, thou wilt believe and em- 
brace a lie. 

Thou hast travelled long in the heights above the 
seed; Oh, consider, if that be not yet standing in 
thee, which could not have been found standing, if 



20 penington's letters. 

thou hadst known the true seed, and travelled there- 
with. This enhances the price of Truth as to thee, 
that thou must part with more for it, than will be 
required of many others; yet, if thou be faithful to 
the Lord, and diligently follow him in the simplicity, 
Truth will at length recompense thee for all thy 
labors, sorrows, and travels. But a thorough work 
will the Lord make in thy earth, if thou singly give 
up unto him. and faithfully follow; and many devices 
wilt thou meet with, to turn thy mind out of the 
way, and to cause thee to shun the bitterness of the 
cross, and to kindle and nourish a hope in thee, that 
thou mayest find a more easy way to the same life 
and everlasting substance. The Lord hath reached 
to thee, and the Lord is willing to search thy heart, 
to find out the deceiver and enemy in his most secret 
lurking-places ; but, when the Lord hath found him 
out, thou must give him up to God's stroke, and not 
suffer him to find a shelter in thy mind to save him 
therefrom. For he is very subtle, and will twist and 
twine all manner of ways to deceive thee and save 
himself; nor art thou yet acquainted with, or able 
to discern his devices. The Lord alone can help 
thee ; and he will help thee, if thou be not hasty to 
join with the enemy, nor give up thy judgment to 
believe what he represents, and seems inwardly to 
represent to thee as true ; but abide and dwell in the 
sense of thy own inability to judge, waiting to feel 
that which is true, pure, and living of God, judge in 
thee, not so much in demonstrations of wisdom, as in 



penington's letters. 21 

tender and secret drawings of the beginnings of a 
new nature, away from what is of an earthly nature. 
For thou must come out of the spirit of this world, 
if thou wilt come into God's Spirit; and thou must 
come out of the love of the things of this world, if 
thou wilt come out of the spirit of this world ; for, 
in the love of the things of this world, the spirit of 
this world lodgeth and dwelleth, and thou canst not 
touch the unclean thing, but thou also touchest some- 
what of the unclean spirit. Therefore, said John, 
from a true and deep understanding, " Love not the 
world, neither the things of the world," (if thou love 
the things of the world, thou lovest the world,) for, 
" if any man love the world, the love of the Father is 
not in him." 

The day of God's mercy and visitation is upon 
thee, who is visiting that spirit in thee which hath 
led thee aside, even with the judgment proper for 
it; that Zion in thee might be thereby redeemed, 
and thy soul converted to, and truly brought forth in 
righteousness. I. p. 

11th of First Month, 1670. 



LETTER IV. 

THE DUTY OF BEING CONTENT WITH WHAT IS 
MADE KNOWN. 

The enemy kindles a great distress in the mind, 
by stirring up an earnest desire, and a sense of a 



22 pexixgton's letters. 

seeming necessity, to know. When a motion ariseth, 
how shall I do, to know whether it be of God or no? 
For, if it be of God, it ought to be obeyed ; and, if 
it be not of God, it ought to be resisted ; but what 
shall I do, who cannot tell what it is ? I must of 
necessity fall, either into disobedience to God's Spirit, 
or into the snares of the enemy. Thus the enemy 
raiseth up a strength in the reasoning part, even un- 
answerable there. But what if it be better for thee, 
at present, to be darkened about these things, than 
as yet to know ? Can that possibly be ? will the 
strong reason readily say. Yes, that it may, in many 
respects. There is somewhat else would live and be 
acting in thee, if the clear and heavenly knowledge 
were oiven : and thou wouldst be centring in self 
that which thou receivedst from God ; yea, thou 
wouldst miss of the way of true knowledge, and 
never learn in every state to be content, nor know 
the pure way and actings of life in such a state. 
Truly, this is not the way of the child's knowing ; 
but the child knows, in resignation and subjection 
of its very knowledge ; and if there appear ever so 
great a necessity of knowledge, and yet knowledge 
be not given, it sinks, in fear and humility, into the 
will of the pure seed ; and there somewhat springs 
up (unknown to the natural wisdom, and not in the 
way of man's wisdom) which at seasons preserves 
and bears it up in such a state. But this is a great 
mystery ; yet sensibly experienced by the true travel- 
lers at this day. 



penington's letters. 23 



Therefore, retire out of all necessities; according 
to the apprehension of the reasoning mind; and 
judge that only necessary, which God, in his eternal 
wisdom and love, proportions out unto us. And 
when thou comest hither, thou wilt come to thy rest; 
and as thou abidest here, thou wilt abide in thy 
soul's true rest, and know the preciousness of that 
lesson, and of whom thou art to learn it, even, in 
every state to be content. II P. 



LETTER V. 



on faith in the healing power of christ. 

Friend : — 

I have had of late some deep and serious thoughts 
concerning thee, and a sense of thee, as between the 
Lord and my own soul, yet I have not had any thing 
to signify or express to thee, till this morning. But 
somewhat this morning sprang up in my heart, 
sweetly and freshly, which I had pure drawings to 
impart to thee. 

There was a quick sense of thee upon my heart, 
and in that sense this cry was in me : — Oh that 
thou wert acquainted with the pure, eternal power 
of the Lord, and mightst feel his outstretched arm 
revealed in thee, and witness the faith which stands 
in that power; and, in that faith, believe and wait 
for what God is doing, and willing to do, in and for 



24 penington's letters. 

his children. " If ye had faith/' said Christ, " but 
as a grain of mustard-seed, ye should say to this 
mountain, Be thou cast into the midst of the sea, 
and it should be bo.' 1 Indeed, the true faith, the 
pure faith, the living faith, which stands in the 
power, doth remove all the mountains that are in the 
way, and makes the crooked ways straight, and the 
rough ways plain. If thou had lived in the days of 
Christ's flesh, and wanted outward healing, and had 
been willing to come to him for healing, but withal 
had not come with faith that he was able and willing 
to heal perfectly, mightest not thou have missed of 
that cleansing and outward health and salvation, 
which others met with? For, did not he say, " Be 
it unto thee according to thy faith"? And is not 
he the Physician of the soul ? and is not his skill to 
be trusted and believed in ? He that hopeth, and 
believeth, and waiteth, and prayeth, and fighteth the 
good fight of faith, which gives victory over sin, 
Satan, and the world, — he may possibly overcome; 
yea, he that warreth lawfully, (that is, with the 
spiritual weapon, which is mighty through God,) he 
that warreth with this only, and with this constantly, 
shall be sure to overcome. For greater is He that 
is in the true believer, than he that is in the world. 

Oh that thou mightest have experience of these 
things, and witness the banner of Christ's love and 
power displayed in thee, and the victories and con- 
quests that are thereby, and the safety and peace 
which is under it ! For, of a truth, we do not speak 



penington's letters. 25 

boastingly, but are witnesses of the majesty of God's 
love and power, which we testify of. The Lord so 
enlighten and guide thee, that thou mayest obtain the 
desires of thy heart; for I really believe thy desire is 
after holiness and after communion with the Father 
and the Son, and with the saints in light : Oh that 
thou mayest be led into the true pure light of life, 
that there thou mayest enjoy what in this kind thou 
desirest ! 

This is from one, who singly, as in the Lord's sight, 
wisheth well unto thee. I. p. 

Reading Jail, 27th of Eighth Month, 1670. 



LETTER VI. 



ADVICE TO ONE RESPECTING THE DARK SUGGESTIONS 

op the enemy. 
Dear Friend: — 

Thou hast had the path of salvation faithfully testi- 
fied of to thee, and hast come to a sense of the thing; 
even to the feeling of that, whereby the Father begets 
life, and manifesteth his love and peace, in and to the 
soul. Now, what remains? but that thou lookup to 
the Lord, to guide thy feet in this path, and to pre- 
serve from that which darkens and leads out of the 
way; that thou mayest pass on thy journey safely, and 
come to the inheritance and enjoyment of that which 
thy soul longeth after. 

3 



20 pemngton's letters. 

There is life, there is peace, there is joy, there is 
righteousness, there is health, there is salvation, there 
wer of redemption, in the seed: yea, there is so. 
But thy soul wants, and doth not enjoy these th: 
Well, but how mayest thou come to enjoy them? 
There is no way, but union with the seed, knowing 
the seed, hearing the voice of the seed, learning of, and 
becoming subject to, the seed. " Learn of me, take 
my yoke upon you," saith Christ, ik 'and ye shall find 
rest to your souls.'' Wouldst thou feel thy soul's rest 
in Christ '.' Thou must know the seed's voice, hear it. 
learn daily of him, become his disciple; take up from 
his nature what is contrary to thy nature. And then, 
as thy nature is worn out, and his nature comes up 
in thee, thou wilt find all easy j all that is of life e 
and transgression hard — unbelief bard : yea, thou 
wilt find it very hard and unnatural, when the nature 
of the seed is grown up in thee, either to distrust the 
Lord or hearken to his enemy. And then thou wilt 
change that dwelling-place (into which Satan brings 
dark thoughts, suggestions, and reasonings) for the 
dwelling-place which is from above, which is the habi- 
tation of the righteous; wherein there is light, life, 
peace, satisfaction, health, salvation, and rejoicing of 
soul, from and before the L 

Now, do not say. Who shall do thus for me? but 
know, the arm of the Lord is mighty, and brings 
mighty things to pass; and that arm hath been re- 
vealed in thee, and is at work for thee. Oh that thou 
couldst trust it! (why canst thou not? hath it not 



penington's letters. 27 

sown a seed of faith in thee ?) and come into and abide 
in the path, wherein its mighty, powerful operations 
are felt and made manifest! And oh that thou 
mayest find ability to watch against that which bows 
down, and not so let in, as thou hast done exceedingly, 
to the grievous wounding and distressing of thy soul ! 
For the enemy's dark suggestions work according to 
their nature, and if thou let them lie upon thee, how 
can they but darken, afflict, and perplex thee ? 

Therefore, in the evil hour, fly from all things that 
thus arise in thee; and lie still, feel thy stay, till his 
light, which " makes manifest," arise in thee, and clear 
up things to thee. And think not the time of dark- 
ness long; but watch that thy heart be kept empty, 
and thy mind clear of thoughts and belief of things, 
till he bring in somewhat, which thou mayest safely 
receive. Therefore, say to thy thoughts and to thy 
belief of things, (according to the representation of 
the dark power, in the time of thy darkness,) "Get 
thee hence !" And if that will not do, look up to the 
Lord to speak to them, and to keep them out, if they 
be not already entered, or to thrust them out, if they 
be already got in. And, if he do not so presently, or 
for a long time, yet do not murmur or think much, 
but wait till he do. Yea, though they violently thrust 
themselves upon thee, and seem to have entered thy 
mind, yet let them be as strangers to thee; receive 
them not, believe them not, know them not, own them 
not; and thy bosom will, notwithstanding, be chaste 



28 penington's letters. 

in the eye of the Lord, though they may seem to thee 
to have defiled thee. 

Look up to the Father, that thou mayest learn this 
of him : and, becoming faithful to him therein, thou 
wilt find thy darkness abate, and its strength more and 
more broken in thee; and thou wilt not only feel and 
taste a little now and then, but also come to possess 
and inherit, and rejoice before the Lord in thy por- 
tion. 

Thy friend in the Truth which changeth not, but 
is pure, and preserveth pure forever. I. P. 

From Aylesbury Jail, 28th of Seventh Month, 1667. 



LETTER VII. 

ON TRUE JUDGMENT, AND ON PREJUDICES ; ALSO ON 
THE VARIETY OF GIFTS AND STATIONS IN THE 
CHURCH. 

To Friends of Truth in and about the two Chalfonts.* 
As a father watcheth over his children, so do I 
wait and desire to feel the Lord watching over my 
soul continually. And in his love, care, wise and 
tender counsel, is my safety, life, and peace, and I 
never yet repented either waiting for him or hearken- 

* I. P. and his wife appear to have been instrumental in 
gathering the Friends of that neighborhood to the knowledge of 
the Truth, as held by the Society. 



penington's letters. 29 

ing to him. But if I have hearkened at any time to 
any thing else, and mistook his voice, and entertained 
the enemy's deceitful appearance, instead of his pure 
Truth, (which it is very easy to do,) that grievous 
mistake hath proved matter of loss and sorrow to my 
soul. 

Now, oh my Friends, that ye might know and 
hear the voice of the Preserver ! so shall ye be pre- 
served, and kept from the voice of the stranger, 
which draweth aside from the pure principle of life, 
and the true feeling sense. There is that near you 
which watcheth to betray : Oh, the Grod of my life, 
joy, peace, and hope, watch over your souls, and de- 
liver you from the advantages which, at any time, it 
hath against any of you. The seed which God hath 
sown in you is pure and precious. Oh that it may be 
found living in you, and ye abiding in it ! Oh that 
no other seed may, at any time, usurp authority over 
it ! but that ye may know the authority and pure 
Truth which is of God, and therein stand, in the pure 
dominion, over all that is against him. For, in the 
principle of life, which ye have known and received 
in measure, is dominion ; and ye, therein preserved, 
are in the dominion over the impure and deceitful 
one ) and that judging in you hath power to judge 
all impurity and deceivableness, as the light thereof 
pleaseth to make it manifest to you ; but, out of that,, 
ye will easily become a prey, and set up darkness for 
light, and account light darkness ; and then, a wrong 
wisdom, confidence, and conceitedness, will get up in 

3* 



30 penjngton's letters. 

you, and lead you far out of the way and spirit of 
Truth. my dear friends, that that may be kept 
down in you, which is forward to judge, to approve 
or disapprove; and may the weighty judgment of the 
seed be waited for ! And, oh, do not judge, do not 
judge, before the light of the day shine in you, and 
give forth the judgment ; but stand and walk in fear 
and humility, and tenderness of spirit, and silence 
of flesh, that the Lord be not provoked against any 
of you, to give you up to a wrong sense and judg- 
ment, to the hurt of your souls. And mind your 
own states, and the feeling of life in your own ves- 
sels ; which will keep you pure, precious, and chaste 
in the eye of the Lord. And, oh, do not meddle 
with talking about others, which eats out the inward 
life, and may exalt your spirits out of your place, 
and above your proper growth : be as the weaned 
child, simple, naked, meek, humble, tender; easily 
led by and subjected to the Father; so will ye grow 
in that which is of God, and be preserved out of that 
which hunteth after the pure life to betray and de- 
stroy it. I have an interest in you, — my cries are to 
the Lord for you, and I exceedingly thirst after your 
preservation and growth in that which is pure; and 
in that breathing, longing spirit towards you, was it 
in my heart at this time to write unto you. 

The Lord God of my mercies, hope, and life 
watch over you for good, and keep your hearts in the 
pure and single watch, that the enemy, by any subtle 
device of his, break not in upon you, nor ye, by any 



penington's letters. 31 

temptation, be allured or drawn from the Lord ; but 
may know the pure, eternal, everlasting habitation, 
and may dwell and abide therein, to the joy of your 
own souls, and the rejoicing of the hearts of all that 
have travailed for you in the Spirit of the Lord. 

From your brother and companion in the faith, 
patience, and afflictions of the seed, I. P. 

Aylesbury Prison, 
25th of Eleventh Month, 1666. 



LETTER VIII. 



THE DAY OF GOD'S POWER AND LOYE. 



To John Mannock. 
Friend : — 

Hath the Lord drawn thy heart to hear the sound 
of Truth, and given thee some sense and savor 
thereof; though, perhaps, not as yet full satisfaction 
in all things that are truly and faithfully testified con- 
cerning it ? Oh, prize this love of God to thee ! and 
watch and pray, and come into the pure fear, that 
thou mayst walk worthy of it, and mayst discern 
in spirit what it is that gives thee the savor, and so 
receive the leaven of the kingdom, and feel its lea- 
vening virtue upon thy heart day by day. For, after 
the Lord hath been at work, the enemy will be at 
work also ; and thou mavst both meet with him with- 



o2 PENINGTON'fi LETTERS. 

out, and within too, in reasonings and questionings 
against the demonstrations of God's Spirit to thy 
heart and conscience. Xow, if thou wilt hearken to 
these, they will eat out the sense and belief of what 
God's Spirit begat in thee. Oh, how many wise men, 
and how many knowing men, that have tasted of 
some true experiences, have not the seose and dis- 
cerning of the Spirit and power of the Lord, as it is 
now made manifest, but speak hard words and think 
hard thoughts of his Truth and its precious appear- 
ances ! 

Ah ! what are we, any of us, en whom the Lord 
hath shown his mercy, and whose hearts he toucheth 
and maketh sensible of his drawings; yea, and not 
only so, but also gives us to partake of the eternal 
life and virtue, which he hath hid in his Son from 
the exes of all living ? We sought it up and down, 
in the deeps and heights ; but the deeps said, It is 
not in me, and the highest mountain and hill that ever 
we met with could not bring salvation to us. But. at 
length, we found the fear of the Lord to be the true 
wisdom, and that which taught us to depart from 
evil gave us the true understanding. Xow. if any 
among us are not thus taught, but only own the doc- 
trines of Truth published among us, being thereunto 
overcome by the demonstration of God's Spirit; yet, 
for all this, they are not felt bv us in the life and 
unity of the Spirit of the Lord with us; and such, 
the Lord will manifestly prune off, in his own due 
time, and graft in others in their stead. Yea, such 






penington's letters. 33 

as do indeed give up to Truth, and in measure feel 
the power of it, and are made by the power of the 
Lord subject to it — yet, if in any thing they let in 
the spirit of the world, and act according thereto, so 
far they are not of the Truth nor owned by it. 

Now, dear friend, (for, so far as thy heart is 
touched by God's Spirit and answereth thereto, thou 
art dear unto me,) mind thy condition, and wait on 
the Lord in humility of heart, and in subjection to 
what he inwardly, by his Spirit, daily makes mani- 
fest; that thou mayest come into the obedience of 
the Truth daily; that thou mayest daily feel the 
change which is wrought in the heart and conscience 
by the holy, eternal, ever-living power ; that so thou 
mayest witness, according to the Scriptures, "that 
which is born of the Spirit is spirit." And then 
thou wilt feel that this birth of the Spirit cannot 
fulfil the lusts of the flesh, but will be warring and 
fighting the good fight of faith, in the power of life, 
against them ; and thus, in faithfulness to the Truth 
and waiting upon the Lord, thou shalt witness an 
overcoming in his due time. For, indeed, the true 
faith overcomes, the true shield beats down the most 
fiery darts, and, in the power of the Lord, the enemy 
is so resisted that he fleeth ; and the name of the 
Lord is, indeed, a strong tower to his children, to 
which his seed know how to retire and feel safety. 

Oh, the conquering faith, the overcoming life and 
power, of the Spirit ! We cannot but speak of those 
things, and cry up the perfect gift and the power of 



8 I penington's letters. 

Him who is not only able to perfect his work in the 
heart, but delights so to do, and even to tread down 
Satan under the feet of those that wait in patience 
for the perfect conquest; for nothing else will fully 
satisfy. The rest, the peace, the liberty, the life, the 
virtue of the gospel is not fully known and enjoyed 
while there remains any sin to sting and trouble. 
And this I can faithfully witness, — that when the 
power is revealed, when the blood washeth, the soul 
is clean and as white as snow, and the enemy hath 
not power to break in, but life triumphs over him. 
And why may there not be a continuance of such a 
state ? Yea, I verily believe, many can witness a 
continuance of such a state, which the Spirit of the 
Lord doth not call less in them than a perfect state, 
a sound state, wherein Christ, the heavenly Physician, 
hath healed them perfectly, and made them witnesses 
of true soundness of soul and spirit in the sight of 
G-od. Oh that all knew and enjoyed it who truly 
desire and long after it ! 

But as for thee, this is in my heart to thee. Thou 
hast found the pearl : the Lord, in mercy to thee, 
has discovered to thee the true pearl. Now, this 
remaios, — that thou be a wise merchant, selling all 
to purchase it. Thou must keep back nothing. 
Christ, the living Truth, the holy power of righteous- 
ness, must be dearer to thee than all. If father, 
mother, livelihood, liberty, friendship, outward ad- 
vantages, &c, or any thing else, be dearer to thee 
than him, he will look upon thee as unworthy of 



penington's letters. 35 

him, and cannot but turn from thee, and suffer hard- 
ness and darkness to come again upon thee. There- 
fore, prize the day of thy visitation from the holy 
God, from the God of mercy and salvation ; and be 
faithful in the little, in the day of small things, if 
ever thou desire to enjoy and be ruler over much. 
The Lord may exercise thee in, and require of thee, 
little things, as he hath done the rest of the flock, 
whose footsteps thou art to follow to the Shepherd's 
tents; and the enemy will be endeavoring to stop 
thee and perplex thee in every little thing that the 
Lord requires of thee. But be thou simple like a 
child, not taking care what to answer wise professors, 
nor what to answer the reasonings of thy own mind ; 
but, seeing thou hast felt the demonstration of Truth 
from God's Holy Spirit, oh, breathe unto the Lord to 
preserve thee in the innocency and simplicity thereof, 
that the Lord may still be with thee, and thereby 
bring thee through the day of Jacob's trouble, to 
taste of Jacob's deliverance and salvation out of 
trouble : for thou must meet with trials as well as 
others have done, and the enemy's endeavor will be 
to make thee stumble and start back in the day of 
trial. But, if thine eye be towards the Lord, he will 
uphold and strengthen thee, and bring thee through 
all that stands in thy way ; manifesting to thee daily, 
more and more, the path of holiness in which the 
ransomed of the Lord walk, and enabling thee also to 
walk therein. 

Therefore, watch the thoughts and reasonings 



6 PEHINGTON'fi LETTERS. 



which rise in thee, and retire from them, waiting to 
feel the pure seed and to hear its voice in stillness ; 
whose voice is otherwise than after the noises of the 
questionings and reasonings which the enemy raiseth 
in the mind to fill it with doubts and troubles; and 
to weaken the faith and sense which God wrought in 
the heart when he reached forth his Truth, in the 
power and demonstration of his Spirit, unto it. This 
was God's love, this was the day of his power, which 
loosens the mind from its lovers and the ways of its 
own choosing, and begets a willingness to be joined 
to the Lord and his pure Truth. 

Oh, take heed of hearkening to the enemy, to the 
subtle reasoner, the entangler of the soul ! take heed 
of consulting there, where he lays his baits to en- 
tangle the mind and undo the work of God's power 
in the heart ; and so. to make unwilling: aeain, after 
the Lord had made willing. The steps which the 
soul takes in the power, even the inclining of the 
mind towards the Lord and his pure Truth, tend to 
salvation; but, if any let in unbelief of those things 
concerning which God had wrought faith in them, 
they draw back to perdition, they hearken to that 
which tempts from the Lord, and to him whose end 
is to destroy them. 

This is in true love to thee, and from an upright 
desire that thou mayest feel the Lord's preservation 
of thy soul in that which is of him, and his separating 
thee from all that is not of him. 

From a friend to all that breathe after the Lord, 



penington's letters. 37 

and desire to know and partake of the power and life 
of Truth as it is in Jesus, the alone Redeemer and 
Saviour of the soul. I. p. 

3d or 4th of Tenth Month, 1668. 



LETTER X. 

ON SIMPLICITY OF FAITH AND DEDICATION. 

To John Mannock. 
Friend :— 

It is a wonderful thing to witness the power of 
God reaching to the heart, and demonstrating to the 
soul, the pure way of life, as in his sight and presence. 
Surely, he that partakes of this is therein favored 
by the Lord, and ought diligently to wait for the 
giving up to the leadings of his Holy Spirit in every 
thing; that so he may travel through all that is con- 
trary to the Lord into that nature and spirit which is 
of Him. It is a wonderful thing, also, to witness 
God's preservation from backsliding, and from being 
entangled by the subtlety of the enemy, who hath 
many ways and taking devices to ensnare the simple 
mind, and draw it from the sense of Truth into some 
notions and belief of things wherein the soul may 
be lulled asleep with hopes and persuasions, but 
hath not the feeling or enjoyment of the true life 
and power. 

Oh ; friend, hast thou a sense of the way to the 

4 



38 PENIXGTOX's LETTERS. 






Father ? then be careful that thy spirit daily bow 
before him, and wait for breathings to him from his 
pure Spirit, that he would continue his mercy to 
thee, keepiug thee in the true sense, and making thy 
way more and more clear before thee every day ; 
yea, and bearing thee up in all the exercises and 
trials which may befall thee in every kind ; that, by 
his secret working in thy spirit, and helping thee 
with a little help from time to time, thou ma; 
be advancing nearer and nearer towards the kingdom, 
until thou find the Lord God administer an entrance 
unto thee thereinto, and sive thee an inheritance of 
life, joy, righteousness, and peace therein ; which is 
strength unto the soul a°;aiost sin and death, and 
against the sorrow and trouble which ariseth in the 
mind for want of God's presence and holy power re- 
vealed there. 

And be not careful after the flesh, but trust the 
Lord. What though thou art weak and little; 
though thou meet with those that are wise and know- 
ing, and almost every way able to reason thee down ' 
what though thou hast not wherewith to answer, yet 
thou knowest and hast the feeling of God's pure 
Truth in spirit, with a desire to have the life of it 
brought forth in thee, and so to witness the change 
and renewings which are by his power. Oh, dear 
heart ! herein thou art accepted of the Lord, and 
here his tender love and care will be over thee, and 
his mercy will daily reach to thee ; and thou shalt 
have true satisfaction in thy heart, and hold the Truth 



penington's letters. 39 

there, where all the reasonings of men, and all the 
devices of the enemy of thy soul, shall not be able to 
reach ; yea, thou shalt so feel the Lord to help his 
babe against the strength of the mighty, in the 
seasons of his good pleasure, as shall exceedingly 
turn to his praise : and so thou shalt experience that 
whom God preserves, all the gates of hell shall not 
be able to prevail against. Therefore look not out at 
men, or at the words and wisdom of men, but keep 
where thou hast felt the Lord visit thee, that he may 
visit thee yet again and again every day, and be 
teaching thee further and further the way to his 
dwelling-place, and be drawing thee thither, where 
is righteousness, life, rest, and peace, forever. 

This arose in my heart this morning in tender love 
towards thee. Look up to the Lord, who can make 
it useful to thee, to warm, quicken, and strengthen 
thy heart and mind towards the Lord and his pure 
Truth, wherewith he has visited thee. And if thou 
feel any thing therein suitable to the state and con- 
dition of thy soul, oh, bow before the Lord, that in 
the true humility thou mayest confess and give the 
glory to him of what belongs to him. 

From thy friend in the Truth, which cleanseth the 
heart from iniquity, as it is embraced and dwelt in. 

I. P. 

23d of Tenth Month, 1668. 



40 penington's letters. 

LETTER X. 

ADVICE AND SYMPATHY UNDER TRIAL. 

To Elizabeth Walmsley. 
My very dear Friend : — 

Many are the trials, afflictions, and temptations 
which the Lord seeth good to exercise us with, for 
the purifying and making us white, that he may honor 
his name in us and through us : but this promise 
stands sure in the seed, " I will never leave thee, nor 
forsake thee. ;; And if our God be with us and for 
us, what can prevail against the work and design of 
his love and power towards us ? 

I am deeply sensible of thy condition, feeling it 
even in the tender and melting love of my heart 
towards thee ; and this word sprang in me to thee : 
Look not out, but trust in the Lord, who can make 
things easier than they seem likely to be, and will 
certainly carry his through the hardest things which 
he suffers to befall them. 

Oh, the Lord keep all in his pure innocency, out of 
the earthly, contriving wisdom which saith, Save thy- 
self, — avoid this dreadful brunt, this stroke of the 
cross ) which it is easy to hearken to, if the mind be 
not kept to that eye and that wisdom which discovers 
the tempter, and instructeth the bird to escape his 
snare. 

My dear love is to thee and to all faithful friends. 
The Lord keep you from hearkening to the enemy, 



penington's letters. 41 

and make you faithful to him in the pure innocency 
and heavenly wisdom which is of him ; for Truth 
triumphs over deceit, and the life of the Lamb on the 
cross reigns and triumphs over death : glory to Him 
who hath overcome in his person, and who teaeheth 
us to overcome through faith in his power, and from 
the overflowings of the conquering life in our hearts 
which first brings down that which is contrary to 
Truth, and then reigns in the Truth. 

Thy friend, in the love which never dies, and in 
the Truth which changes not. I. P. 

Catsgrove, 14th of Tenth Month, 1670. 



LETTEE XI. 

OF OBEDIENCE IN CONFESSING CHRIST; ALSO ON THE 
LIGHT OF CHRIST. 

To Elizabeth Stonar. 

Dear Friend : — 

I am sensible that the Lord hath visited thee with 

his power, reaching to thy heart in the demonstration 

of his own Spirit, and that thy heart hath answered, 

and said in the inward of thy soul, It is God's Truth, 

indeed. Now, so far as God hath reached to thee, so 

far it behooves thee to confess him, his Truth, and 

people, before men, and to give up in obedience and 

subjection of spirit to the Lord. And if thou say 

4* 



42 PENINGTON S LETTZ1 

iu the bud] : thy head lave any 

tenderness. Thus it is with roe : I believe from m 

this I, — what shall I do? shall I _ 

up in obedience thereto, or shall I disobey the Lord, 

. ' and ray own b 

will reach that which is of 

wound and trouble that which is nut of G 

. and help th 
in thy and doubts, and : 

both in reference to thyself and mother. God is my 
witness, whom I sei : in the gospel of 

his Sui I 1 - - : 

good t in the 

Irawings :: irit. And I 

gave :_:__. in true ai 

though I kn mough how hard it won! 

it in his present bitter 

enemy he migh telling him 

truth. ] it not unadvisedly, but in the 

of my spirit re the Lord; and I h. wish 

that he were not deceived in heart concerning his 
own state, but truly knew it. as it is. 
Thy soul's true and sincere-he 

i. p. 



43 



LETTER XII. 

ENCOURAGEMENT TO FAITHFULNESS UNDER APPRE- 
HENSION OF SUFFERINGS. 

To Widow Hemming s. 

My dear Friend : — 

I have not forgotten thee, but have often Inquired 
after thee, and many times breathed for thee. 

Oh, my friend, look not out at what stands in the 
way; what if it look dreadfully as a lion, is not the 
Lord stronger than the mountains of prey ? but look 
in, where the law of life is written, and the will of 
the Lord revealed, that thou mayst know what is the 
Lord's will concerning thee ; and then, show thyself 
a faithful daughter of Abraham, and be like Sarah, 
not terrified with any amazement. So soon as I had 
read thy letter, this arose in my heart to thee, as 
God's counsel, proper to thy state. Have no fellow- 
ship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but 
rather reprove them. Be not straitened in thy 
spirit, as fearing what thou shalt suffer for Christ's 
sake; or, as if God would not stand by thee, or 
carry thee through. Be thy sufferings as great as 
possible, yet He is faithful, who hath promised thee 
an hundredfold in this life. 

Oh, what can hurt thee, if thy God stand by 
thee ? Be faithful to his testimony in thy place, and 
he will stand by thee. Take heed of joining with 
dead worships, which the seed of God in thee dis- 



44 penington's letters. 

owns, and cannot relish; but, meekly and in fear, 
testify against, and abstain from, what thou feelest 
not to be of the Lord. 

This was what was in my heart to thee at present, 
in true and tender love, and in melting desires for 
thee, that the Lord may guide and preserve thee, 
and give thee of the Lamb's courage and strength, 
who by meekness and sufferings is now to conquer. 
What if the wicked nature, which is as a sea cast- 
ing out mire and dirt, rage against thee ? There 
is a river, a sweet, still, flowing river, the streams 
whereof will make glad thy heart. And learn but 
in quietness and stillness to retire to the Lord, and 
wait upon him ; in whom thou shalt feel peace and 
joy, in the midst of thy trouble from the cruel and 
vexatious spirit of this world. So, wait to know 
thy work and service to the Lord every day, in thy 
place and station ) and the Lord make thee faithful 
therein, and thou wilt want neither help, support, nor 
comfort. 

Thy friend, in the truest, sincerest, and most con- 
stant love, I. P. 

London, 1st of Ninth Month, 1675. 



penington's letters. 45 



LETTER XIIL 

EXHORTATION RELATIVE TO THE CHRISTIAN 
LIFE AND TRAVEL. 

To Dulcibella Laiton. 

Dear Friend : — 

Concerning whom I feel a travail, — this is the 
sense of my heart in relation to thee. 

There is a pure seed of life, which God hath sown 
in thee : oh that it might come through, and come 
over all that is above it, and contrary to it ! And 
for that end wait daily to feel it, and to feel thy 
mind subdued by it, and joined to it. Take heed of 
looking out, in the reasonings of thy mind, but dwell 
in the feeling sense of life ; and then, that will arise 
in thee more and more, which maketh truly wise, 
and gives power, and brings into the holy authority 
and dominion of life. Many that have been long 
travelling, are now entering into their possessions 
and inheritance, which the Lord is daily enlarging in 
them, and to them. Oh that thy lot may be among 
them, inwardly witnessed and possessed by thee ! 
Prize inward exercises, griefs, and troubles ; and let 
faith and patience have their perfect work in them. 
Oh, desire to be good, upright, and perfect in God's 
sight, and wait to feel the life, Spirit, and power, 
which makes so. Come out of the knowledge and 
comprehension about things, into the feeling life • 
and let that be thy knowledge and wisdom, which 



46 penington's letters. 

thou receivest and retainest in the feeling life ; 
and that will lead thee into the footsteps of the 
flock, without reasoning, consulting, or disputing. 

Oh, wait to be taught and enabled by God to fetch 
right steps in thy travels ; and to take up the cross 
and despise the shame in every thing, wherein that 
wisdom, will, and mind ; which is to be crucified, 
would be judge; for it will judge amiss, and lead 
aside, if it be hearkened to by thee. The Lord 
show thee the snares and dangers to which thou art 
liable, and lead thee out of them ; that whatever 
hindereth may be discovered to thee, and thy mind 
singly joined to that which discovereth, that so it 
may be removed out of the way; and all crooked 
things be made straight in thee, and the rough plain, 
and the high low, and the low high, and the weak 
and foolish strong and wise, and the wise and strong 
weak and foolish. Oh, wait to feel and understand 
my words, that thy conversation may be ordered 
aright by the power and wisdom of God ; and that 
thou mayst inwardly come to witness the glorious 
coming of Him, who is the salvation of God, and 
in whom thou shalt not fail to see the salvation or 
God. 

Thou must be very low, weak, and foolish, that 
the seed may arise in thee to exalt thee, and become 
thy strength and wisdom; and thou must die ex- 
ceedingly, again and again, more and more, inwardly 
and deeply ! that thy life may spring up from the 
holy root and stock; and thou mayst be more and 



penington's letters. 47 

more gathered into it, spring up into it, and live 
alone in the life, virtue, and power thereof. The 
travel is long, the exercises many, the snares, tempta- 
tions, and dangers many; and yet the mercy, relief, 
and help is great also. 

Oh that thou mayst feel thy calling and election, 
thy sinking down, springing up, and establishment, 
in the pure seed, in the light and righteousness 
thereof over all ; that thou mayst sing songs of 
degrees to the Redeemer of Israel, and mayest daily 
more and more partake of and rejoice in Him, who 
is our joy, and the crown thereof. 

Thy friend, in the most sincere, tender love, 

I. P. 

11th of Fifth Month, 1677. 



LETTER XIV. 

COMFORT AND COUNSEL UNDER AFFLICTION. 

To the Lady Conway. 
Dear Friend: — 

In tender love, and in a sense of thy sore afflic- 
tions and exercises, I do most dearly salute thee ; 
desiring for thee, that the work of the Lord in thy 
heart may not be interrupted by any devices of the 
enemy ; but that it may go on and prosper in thee, 
in the springing up of the pure seed of life in thy 
heart, and in the powerful overturning, by the mighty 



48 penington's letters.' 

arm of the Lord, of all that is contrary thereto in 
thee. Oh that thou mayst daily feel that holy birth 
of life, which is begotten by the Father, and lives 
by faith in him ! — I say, oh that thou mayst daily 
feel it living in thee, when temptations and trials on 
every hand increase — feel the birth of life, which 
will cry to the Father, " Lord, increase my faith !" 

Though sorrows, heaviness, and faintings of heart 
ever so much increase ; yet, if thy faith increase 
also, it will bear thee up in the midst of them. I 
would fain have it go well with thee, and that thou 
mightst not want the Reprover, in any thing that is 
to be reproved in thee; nor the Comforter, in any 
respect wherein thy soul wants comfort j nor the holy 
Counsellor and Adviser, in any strait or difficulty 
which the wise and tender God orders to befall thee. 

Ah that thou mightst come to feel the daily 
wasting of sin and death, and the daily springing of 
life and holiness in thy heart ! The pearl is worth 
thousands of worlds, with the greatest earthly glory 
and pleasure imaginable. Oh that thou .mayst be 
taught of God to discern it more and more, and to 
buy it, and to come into the enjoyment and posses- 
sion of it ! The Lord manifest Zion more and more 
to thee, and show thee the glory of it, and set thy 
feet towards it; and put into thy heart to seek of 
him the way to it, renewing thee more and more in 
the spirit of thy mind, whereby the way comes 
clearly to be discerned, and faithfully walked in ; 
that thou mayst witness, daily, the everlasting cove- 



penington's letters. 49 

nant of life and peace, even the sure mercies of 
David. 

The desire of my soul is, that thy affections, which, 
how grievous soever, yet are but momentary, may fit 
thee for, and work out, an eternal weight of glory, 
for thy soul to inherit in another world, forever. 

I remain a sympathizer with thee in thy suffer- 
ings; who desires all the advantage and blessings 
from the God of my life may come to thee, which 
hardships, temptations, and trials, prepare the heart 
and make way for. I. P. 

14th of Twelfth Month, 1678. 



LETTEE XV. 

ON THE BENEFIT OF CHASTENING BY AFFLICTIONS. 

To the Lady Conway. 
Dear Friend: — 

As I was lately retired in spirit and waiting upon 
the Lord, having a sense on me of thy long, sore, 
and deep affliction and distress, there arose a Scrip- 
ture in my heart to lay before thee, namely, Heb. 
xii. 5, 6, 7, which, I entreat thee, to call for a Bible, 
and hear read, before thou proceedest to what follows. 

Oh, my friend ! after it hath pleased the Lord in 
tender mercy to visit us ; and turn our minds from 
the world and ourselves towards him, and to beget 

5 



50 penington's letters. 

and nourish that which is pure and living, of himself, 
in us; yet, notwithstanding this, there remains some- 
what at first, yea, and perhaps for a long time, which 
is to be searched out by the light of the Lord, and 
brought down and subdued by his afflicting hand. 
When there is, indeed, somewhat of an holy will 
formed in the day of God's power; and the soul, in 
some measure, begotten and brought forth to live to 
God, in the heavenly wisdom; yet all the earthly 
will and wisdom is not thereby presently removed; 
but there are hidden things of the old nature and 
spirit, still remaining; which, perhaps, appear not, 
but sink inward into their root, that they may save 
their life ; which man cannot possibly find out in 
his own heart, but as the Lord reveals them to him. 
But how doth the Lord find them out? Oh, con- 
sider! his "fire is in Zion, and his furnace is in 
Jerusalem." By his casting into the furnace of 
affliction, the fire searcheth. The deep, sore, dis- 
tressing affliction, which rends and tears the very in- 
wards, finds out both the seed and the chaff, purifying 
the pure gold and consuming the dross; and then, 
at length, the quiet state is witnessed, and the quiet 
fruit of righteousness brought forth, by the search- 
ing and consuming nature and operation of the fire. 
Oh that thy soul may be tried unto victory over all 
that is not of the pure life in thee ! and that thou 
mayst wait to feel the pure seed, or measure of life 
in thee, and die into the seed, feeling death unto all 
that is not of the seed in thee ! and that thou mayst 



I 



penington's letters. 51 

feel life, healing, refreshment, support, and comfort 
from the God of thy life, in the seed ; — and nowhere 
else, nor at any time, but as the Lord pleaseth to ad- 
minister it to thee there. Oh, the Lord guide thee 
daily, and keep thy mind to him ; at least, looking 
towards the holy place of the springing up of his life 
and power in thy heart. Look unto him. Help, 
pity, salvation, will arise in his due time; but it 
will not arise from any thing thou canst do or think ; 
and faith will spring and patience be given, and 
hope in the tender Father of mercy, and a meek and 
quiet spirit will be witnessed; and the Lamb's 
nature springing up and opening in thee, from his 
precious seed, which will excel in nature, kind, de- 
gree, and virtue, all the faith, patience, hope, meek- 
ness, &c. which thou, or any else, otherwise can at- 
tain unto. Oh, look not at thy pain or sorrow, how 
great soever; but look from them, look off them, 
look beyond them, to the Deliverer ! whose power is 
over them, and whose loving, wise, and tender Spirit 
is able to do thee good by them. And, if the out- 
ward afflictions work out an exceeding weight of 
glory, oh, what shall the inward do for those, who 
are humbly, brokenly, and faithfully exercised before 
the Lord fey them ! Oh, wait to feel the seed, and 
the cry of thy soul in the breathing life of the seed, 
to its Father, with its sweet, kindly, and natural 
subjection to him. And wait for the risings of the 
power in thy heart, in the Father's seasons, and for 
faith in the power; that thou mayst feel inward 



52 penington's letters. 

healing, of all the inward wounds which the Lord 
makes in thy soul, through his love to thee for thy 
good. 

If thou wilt receive the kingdom that cannot be 
shaken, thou must wait to have that discovered in 
thee, which may be shaken ; and the Lord arising 
terribly to shake the earth, and it removed out of 
its place as a cottage, and the heavens also rolled up 
like a scroll. And, while the. Lord is doing this, he 
will be hiding thee in the hollow of his hand, (thy 
mind still retiring to the seed,) and will, in these 
troublesome and dismal times, inwardly be forming 
the new heavens and the new earth, wherein, when 
they are brought forth and established, dwells right- 
eousness. The Lord lead thee, day by day, in the 
right way, and keep thy mind stayed upon him, in 
whatever befalls thee ; that the belief of his love 
and hope in his mercy, when thou art at the lowest 
ebb, may keep up thy head above the billows ; and 
that thou mayst go on in the disciple's state, learn- 
ing righteousness and holiness of Him who teacheth 
to deny and put off unholiness and unrighteousness, 
and to know, embrace, and put on newness of life, 
and the holiness and righteousness thereof. 

The Lord God of my life be with thee, preserving 
and ordering thy heart for the great day of his love 
and mercy ; which will come in the appointed season, 
when the heart is fully exercised and fitted by the 
Lord for it, and will not tarry. I. p. 



penington's letters. 53 

LETTEK XVI. 

ON BEING INGRAFTED INTO CHRIST, BEING PRE- 
SERVED ALIVE IN HIM, AND GROWING UP IN 
HIM IN ALL THINGS. 

To S. W. 
Dear S. W. :— 

I have ever had a love to thee, and have many 
times been filled with earnest desires for thee ; that 
thou mayst know the Lord in his own pure teach- 
ings, and travel into, and dwell in, the fulness of 
the kingdom of his dear Son ; and that thou mayst 
be blessed with spiritual blessings in heavenly places 
in Christ. 

In order to arrive here, thou must wait to know 
God and Christ, in the mystery of their Spirit, life, 
and power, and, by that Spirit, life, and power, find 
the secrets of the mystery of darkness searched and 
purged out, and the mystery of godliness opened and 
established in thy heart, in the room thereof; — Christ 
formed inwardly; the soul formed, yea, and created 
inwardly anew in him ; a real transplanting into his 
death, and a real feeling of his springing and rising 
life ; and an experience of the sweetness, safety, and 
virtue of his rising life, — and daily to be sensible 
what it is to lie down in the holy, quickening power, 
and to rise again in the risings of the life and power, 
and so, be only what thou art made and preserved to 
be, in the light, grace, life, virtue, and power of the 

5* 



54 penington's letters. 

Lord Jesus Christ ; and to feel him remove any thing 
that is unrighteous, and clothing thee with his pure 
life, Spirit, and righteousness. 

Oh, this is indeed the pure, precious, living know- 
ledge of the Lord Jesus Christ; which all the out- 
ward knowledge tends to lead to, and is comprehended 
and ended in. This is the excellency of the know- 
ledge of Jesus Christ our Lord which Paul was so 
ravished with, and counted all things but dross and 
dung for. Now, that thou mayst obtain this, mind 
the inward appearance, the root, the fountain, the 
rock within, the living stone within, — its openings, 
its springings, its administering life to thee ; and take 
heed of running into the outwardness of openings 
concerning the heavenly things, but keep, oh, learn 
to keep, oh, mind to keep in the inwardness of life 
within ! This is the everlasting habitation of the 
birth which is begotten and brought forth, bred up 
and kept alive, alone by the presence, power, and 
operation of the living Spirit; — and the Lord Jesus 
is that Spirit, as really as he was man, even the holy, 
heavenly, immaculate spotless Lamb of God. And 
in this state, life reigns in the heart, and the horn 
of the Holy One is exalted, the head of the serpent 
crushed, yea, Satan trod under foot, by the God of 
peace, — who would have his children dwell in the 
sweetness and fulness of the gospel, in the peace, life, 
righteousness, and joy of his blessed Spirit and power. 
Oh, who would not desire after, and wait for, and 
walk with the Lord towards the obtaining and pos- 






penington's letters. 55 

sessing of these things ? All the promises in Christ 
are yea and amen. Inward victory is promised; the 
inward presence of God is promised ; God's dwelling 
and walking in the soul is promised ; Christ supping 
with the soul ; and the soul with him, is promised ; 
putting the law in the heart, and writing it there ; 
putting the pure, living fear into it ; yea, also put- 
ting the holy, powerful Spirit into it, which can 
cause it to walk in God's ways, and to keep his right- 
eous judgments, and do them : and He is able to do 
this work in the heart ; for what cannot the spirit of 
judgment and burning consume and burn up within ? 
Yea, all these things are promised. He can cause 
the soul to rejoice in the Lord, and work righteous- 
ness, and to remember the Lord in his ways, as some 
were taught and enabled to do in former times, Isa. 
Ixiv. 5 ; yea, he can bring into the way of holiness 
the King of Glory's highway, into which no unclean 
thing can enter, and [can] keep undefiled therein; 
and they that are kept undefiled therein, taste the 
sweetness, blessedness, purity, and holy pleasure 
thereof. 

I would fain have my own soul and thine, and all 
the real, serious, faithful people of God experience, 
and be able to say with David that which, after his 
many trials, afflictions, troubles, temptations, and 
grievous fall, he was able to say, in relation to his 
walking with the Lord, " For I have kept the ways 
of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from 
my God. For all his judgments were before me, 



56 penington's letters. 

and I did not put away his statutes from me. I was 
also upright before him, and I kept myself from ini- 
quity." Psa. xviii. 21, 22, 23. Oh, this is precious! 
when a man comes to know his iniquity, wherein the 
enemy's strength lies as to him, and whereby the 
enemy hath most advantage to tempt and gain ground 
on him, brought down and subdued. Certainly, 
when one gains strength from God to overcome the 
enemy here, and to keep out of this, he comes very 
near to the keeping of himself, in and by virtue of the 
Holy Spirit and power, so as the wicked one cannot 
touch him, nor draw him to touch any unclean thing. 
If that be indeed put off wherein the enemy's power 
lies, and that indeed put on wherein the strength of 
the Lord Jesus is revealed, and the soul be really in 
the possession of and abide in this state, how can it 
but be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his 
might, and witness the good pleasure of the goodness 
of the Lord fulfilling, and the work of faith going on 
with power, daily more and more ; a little measure 
whereof, kept to, removes the mountains inwardly 
and gives strength over the enemy. How then doth 
it increase and grow up in life and virtue, and in a 
sensible understanding and experience of the name 
of the Lord Jesus ! Is there not in this state a feel- 
ing of remission of sins, a feeling of redemption, a 
feeling of reconciliation, a feeling of oneness with 
God in Christ, a feeling of God being the salvation, 
strength, and song, and a trusting in him, and not 
being afraid ? Isa. xii. 2. Is there not a being care- 



penington's letters. 57 

ful in nothing, but in every thing making the re- 
quests to God, by prayer and supplication, with 
thanksgiving, in that 'Spirit and holy breath of life 
which the Father cannot deny, and so, the peace of 
God, which passeth all understanding, keeping the 
heart and mind through Christ Jesus? 

Oh, my friend, there is an ingrafting into Christ, — 
a being formed and new- created in Christ, — a living 
and abiding in him, and a growing and bringing forth 
fruit through him unto perfection. Oh, mayest thou 
experience all these things ! and, that thou mayest so 
do, wait to know life, the springings of life, the separa- 
tions of life inwardly from all that evil which hangs 
about it, and would be springing up and mixing with 
it, under an appearance of good; that life may come to 
live fully in thee, and nothing else. And so, sink 
very low, and become very little, and know little ; 
yea, know no power to believe, act, or suffer any 
thing for God, but as it is given thee, by the springing 
grace, virtue, and life of the Lord Jesus. For grace is 
a spiritual, inward thing, and holy seed sown by God, 
springing up in the heart. People have got a notion 
of grace, but know not the thing. Do not thou 
matter the notion, but feel the thing, and know thy 
heart more and more ploughed up by the Lord, that 
his seed's grace may grow up in thee more and more, 
and thou mayest daily feel thy heart as a garden, 
more and more enclosed; watered, dressed, and de- 
lighted in by him. 



penixgton's letters. 

This is a salutation of love from thy friend in the 
Truth, which lives and changes not. i. P. 

27th of Twelfth Month, 1678. 



LETTER XVII. 



counsel to one tossed as with tempests. 

Dear Friend: — 

Thy condition cannot but be weak and dark, until 
the light of life arise in thee, and the power of the 
Lord overcome and subdue the power of darkness, 
whicb strives to keep the seed of life in the grave 
and bonds of death. 

It is the Lord's mercy, to give thee breathings after 
life and cries unto him against that which oppresseth 
tbee ; and happy wilt thou be, when he shall fill thy 
soul with that which he hath given thee to breathe 
after. Only let thy heart wait for strength to trust 
him with the season, for his long-tarrying is thy sal- 
vation, and the destruction of those enemies which, 
while any strength remains in them, will never suffer 
thee and thy God to dwell uninterruptedly together. 
Therefore they must needs die, and He who hath the 
power to kill them knows the way. which, to the ap- 
pearing of thy sense, will be as if he meant to kill 
the life of thy soul, and not them. But lie still 
under his hand, and be content to be unable to judge 



pexixgton's letters. 59 

concerning his ways and workings in thy heart ; and 
thou shalt at times feel an inward leaven of life from 
his Holy Spirit, whereby he will change and trans- 
form thy spirit into his likeness, in some measure, for 
the present. And though it be quickly gone again, 
and the whole land so overspread with enemies that 
there is no sight of redemption or the Redeemer left, 
but the soul in a worse condition than before, — yet 
be not troubled, — for if troubles abound, and there be 
tossing, and storms, and tempests, and no peace, nor 
any thing visible left to support, yet lie still, and sink 
beneath till a secret hope stir, which will stay the 
heart in the midst of all these, — until the Lord ad- 
minister comfort, who knows how and what relief to 
give to the weary traveller, that knows not where 
it is, nor which way to look, nor where to expect a 
path. 

How shall I speak to thee, how shall I mourn over 
thee ? Oh that thou inayest be upheld to the day of 
God's mercy to thy soul ! and be gathered out of all 
such knowledge, as thou canst comprehend or contain 
in what is natural, into the feeling of life; that thou 
mayest know the difference between living upon some- 
what received from God, and having God live with 
thee and administer life to thee at his pleasure; thou 
being kept in the nothingness, emptiness, poverty, and 
perfect resignation of spirit. 

This counsel is to thee, through a poor, weak vessel. 

I. p. 



60 pexixgtox's letters. 



LETTER XVIII. 

ENCOURAGEMENT UNDER TRIALS INCIDENT TO BEAR- 
ING THE CROSS OE CHRIST. 

Who is able to undergo the crosses and afflictions, 
either inward or outward, which befall those, whom 
God draws out of the spirit of this world and path of 
destruction, into the way of eternal rest and peace? 
Yet the Lord is able to uphold that which feels its 
weakness, and daily waits on him for support, under 
the heaviness of the cross. 

I know, dear heart, thy outward trials cannot but 
be sharp and bitter; and I know also that the Lord 
is able to sustain thee under him, and cause thee 
to stand thy ground; that thou give not advantage 
to that spirit, which hereby would draw from the 
Lord, and from the way of life and happiness. Oh 
that thou couldst dwell in the knowledge and sense 
of this ! even that the Lord beholds thy sufferings 
with an eye of pity, and is able, not only to uphold 
thee under them, but also to do thee good by them, 
and to bring forth that life and wisdom in thee by 
means thereof, to which he will give dominion over 
that spirit which grieves and afflicts thee, in his due 
season. Therefore grieve not at thy lot. be not dis- 
contented, look not out at the hardness of thy condi- 
tion; but when the storm and matters of vexation are 
sharp, look up to Him who can give meekness and 



penington's letters. 61 

patience, can lift up thy head over all, and cause thy 
life to grow, and be a gainer by all. If the Lord God 
did not help us by his mighty arm, how often should 
we fall and perish ! and if the Lord God help thee 
proportionably to thy condition of affliction and dis- 
tress, thou wilt have no cause to complain, but to 
bless his name. He is exceedingly good, and gracious, 
and tender-hearted, and doth not despise the afflictions 
of the afflicted, for his name's sake, in any kind. 

This is in tender love towards thee, with breathings 
to my Father, that his pleasant plant may not be 
crushed in thee by the foot of pride and violence, 
but may overgrow it, and nourish the more because 
of it. 

From thy truly loving friend in the Truth, and for 
the Truth's sake, I. P. 



LETTER XIX. 



ON BEING OFFENDED WITH THOSE WHO FALL INTO 
TEMPTATION. 

It is of the infinite mercy and compassion of the 
Lord, that his pure love visiteth any of us; and it is 
by the preservation thereof alone that we stand. If 
he leave us at any time, but one moment, what are 
we? and who is there that provoketh him not to 
depart? Let him throw the first stone at him that 
falls. 

6 



62 PEXINGTOX'.S LETTERS. 

In the Truth itself, in the liviDg power and virtue, 
there is no offence; but that part which is not per- 
fectly redeemed hath still matter for the temptation 
to work upon, and may be taken in the snare. Let 
him that stands take heed lest he fall, and, in the 
•Is of pity, mourn over and wait for the restoring 
of him that is fallen. That which is so apt to be 
offended is the same with that which falls. Oh, do 
not reason, in the high-mindedness, against any that 
turn aside from the pure Guide; but fear lest the 
unbelieving and fleshly wise part get up in thee also. 
Oh, know the weakness of the creature in the withdraw- 
ings of the life ! and the strength of the enemy in that 
hour ! and the free grace and mercy which alone can 
preserve ! and thou wilt rather wonder that any stand, 
than that some fall. 

When the pure springs of life open in the heart, 
immediately the enemy watcheth his opportunity to 
get entrance, and many times finds entrance soon 
after, the soul little fearing or suspecting him. having 
lately felt such mighty, unconquerable strength ; and 
yet. how often then doth he get in. and smite the life 
down to the ground ! and what may he not do with 
the creature, unless the Lord graciously help ! 

Oh, great is the mystery of godliness, the way of 
life narrow, the travel to the land of rest long, hard, 
and sharp ; it is easy miscarrying, it is easy stepping 
aside, at any time, it is easy losing the Lord's glorious 
presence, unless the defence about it, by his Almighty 
arm, be kept up. There is a time for the Lord's 



penington's letters. 63 

taking down the fence of his own vineyard, because 
of transgression, and then the wild boar may easily 
break in. Ah ! who tastes not of this, in some mea- 
sure? and what hinders that he taste not of it in a 
greater measure ? 

Ah ! turn from the fleshly wisdom and reasonings 
unto the pure river of life itself; and wait there, to 
have that judged which hath taken offence; lest, if it 
grow stronger in thee, it draw thee from the life, which 
alone is able to preserve thee, and so thou also fall ! 

This is in dear love to thee : retire from that part 
which looketh out, and feel the inward virtue of that 
which can restore and preserve thee. I. p. 



LETTER XX. 

ON SHUNNING THE CROSS. 
To Catharine Pordage. 

Ah, my poor, distressed, entangled friend : — 

While thou seekest to avoid the snare, thou deeply 
runnest into it ; for thou art feeding on the tree of 
knowledge in giving way to these thoughts, reason- 
ings, and suggestions, which keep thee from obedience 
to that which hath been made manifest to thy under- 
standing. And thou mayest well be feeble in thy 
mind while thou art thus separated from Him who is 
thy strength, and lettest in his enemy. This is not 



64 PENINGTON's LETTERS. 

the right feebleness of mind which God pities, nor 
the right way of waiting to receive strength. Why 
shouldst not thou act so far as God gives thee light ? 
and why shouldst thou not appear willing to obey 
him, even in little things, so far as he hath given 
thee light? What if I should say, that all this is 
but the subtlety of the serpent's wisdom to avoid the 
cross, and is not that simplicity and plainness of heart 
towards God which thou takest it to be \ and that 
thou art loath to be so poor, and low, and mean in the 
eyes of others, as this practice would make thee ap- 
pear ? 

Thy friend in the Truth, and in sincere love. 

I. P. 

Amersham, 25th of Ninth Month, 1675. 



LETTER XXI. 



ON LOVE, MEEKNESS, AND WATCHING OYER EACH 

OTHER. 

To Friends in Amersham. 
Friends : — 

Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness, and 
bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, 
and not laying accusations one against another; but 
praying one for another, and helping one another up 
with a tender hand, if there has been any slip or fall, 



penington's letters. 65 

and waiting till the Lord gives sense and repentance, 
if sense and repentance in any be wanting. Oh, wait 
to feel this spirit, and to be guided to walk in this 
spirit, that ye may enjoy the Lord in sweetness, 
and walk sweetly, meekly, tenderly, peaceably, and 
lovingly one with another. And then ye will be a 
praise to the Lord ) and any thing that is, or hath 
been, or may be amiss, ye will come over in the true 
dominion, even in the Lamb's dominion; and that 
which is contrary shall be trampled upon, as life rises 
and rules in you. So, watch your hearts and ways ; 
and watch one over another in that which is gentle 
and tender, and knows it can neither preserve itself 
nor help another out of the snare ) but the Lord must 
be waited upon to do this in and for us all. So, mind 
Truth, the service, enjoyment, and possession of it in 
your hearts ; and so to walk as ye may bring no dis- 
grace upon it, but may be a good savor in the places 
where ye live : the meek, innocent, tender, righteous 
life reigning in you, governing over you, and shining 
through you, in the eyes of all with whom ye con- 
verse. 

Your friend in the Truth, and a desirer of your 
welfare and prosperity therein. I. P. 

Aylesbury, 4th of Third Month, 1667. 

6* 



66 penington's letters. 

LETTER XXII. 

on the spiritual appearance of christ. 

Friend! — 

That thou hadst the true sense of the drift of my 
heart in writing and sending things to thee : which 
is and hath been this, — that thou mightst be ac- 
quainted with that of God in the heart, which 
quickens to him ; and, in the light of that, mightst 
try thy heart and ways, and so, only justify in thyself 
what God justifies, and let all else go. 

Shall the Lord appear mightily on the earth, and 
Israel not know him ? Shall the professors of this 
age understand no more his appearance in Spirit than 
the Jews did his appearance in flesh ? Shall they 
stumble at the very same stumbling-stone? Yes, 
the same stumbling-stone is laid for that wisdom to 
stumble at, as in all generations; and there is no 
avoiding stumbling but by coming out of that wisdom 
into babelike simplicity, which gives entrance into 
pure, heavenly wisdom. And this I dare affirm, as 
in God's presence and in his pure fear, having re- 
ceived the sense thereof from him, — that there is 
none that opposeth this his present appearance, (by 
the greatest knowledge and wisdom of their compre- 
hensions from the letter,) but would also have op- 
posed and denied his appearance in that body of flesh 
had they lived in that day. For the wisdom which 



penington's letters. 67 

they gathered from the letter did not reveal Christ in 
that day, but the Father; and the same reveals him 
in this day. 

Oh that thou couldst feel the pure revelation from 
the Father to thy heart ! Oh, wait for a new heart, 
a new ear, a new eye ! even to feel the pure in thee, 
and thy mind changed by the pure, that all things 
may become new to thee, — the Scriptures new, (they 
are so, indeed, when God opens them,) duties new, 
ordinances new, graces new, experiences new, a new 
church of the Spirit's building, wherein He and thy 
soul may dwell together, and thou mayst be able to 
say, in the presence of the Lord, This is a city of 
God's own building, the foundation whereof is laid 
with sapphires, whose walls are salvation, and its 
gates praise ! I. p. 

12th of Third Month, 1669. 



LETTER XXIII. 

to one under divine visitation. 

Oh, dear Friend ! — 

The eternal love of my Father is to thee ; and be- 
cause he loves thee and would entirely enjoy thee, 
therefore doth he so grievously batter and break down 
that which stands in the way. What he is doing 
towards thee thou canst not know now, but thou shalt 



68 penington's letters. 

know hereafter. Only be still, and wait for the 
springing up of hope in the seasons the Father sees 
necessary, that thou inayst not faint under his hand, 
but be supported by his secret power, until his work 
be finished. The great thing necessary for thee at 
present to know is the drawings of his Spirit, that 
thou mayst not ignorantly withstand or neglect them, 
and protract the day of thy redemption. 

Oh, look not after great things ! small breathings, 
small desires, after the Lord, if true and pure, are 
sweet beginnings of life. Take heed of despising 
"the day of small things," by looking after some 
great visitation, proportionable to thy distress, accord- 
ing to thy eye. Nay, thou must become a child, thou 
must lose thy own will quite by degrees. Thou must 
wait for life to be measured out by the Father, and 
be content with what proportion, and at what time, 
he shall please to measure. 

Oh, be little, be little ! and then thou wilt be con- 
tent with little : and if thou feel, now and then, a 
check or a secret smiting, in that is the Father's 
love : be not over- wise, nor over-eager, in thy own 
willing, running, and desiring, and thou mayst feel 
it so, and by degrees come to the knowledge of thy 
Guide, who will lead thee, step by step, in the path 
of life, and teach thee to follow and, in his own 
season, powerfully judge that which cannot, nor will 
not, follow. Be still, and wait for light and strength ; 
and desire not to know or comprehend, but to be known 



penington's letters. 69 

and comprehended in the love and life which seeks 
out, gathers, and preserves the lost sheep. 

I remain thy dear friend and a well-wisher to thy 
soul, in the love of my Father. I. p. 



LETTER XXIV. 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO LOOK UP TO THE LORD AMIDST 
HIS CHASTENINGS, AND THE SMITINGS OF THE 
ENEMY. 

Friend : — 

Thy advantage in thy travels is great over what it 
hath been; the Lord having given thee a better 
sight, both of thy enemies and of that wherein his 
strength against them is revealed. 

Now, what remains but that thou hope in him, 
and breathe unto him, and hang upon him, that his 
virtue may flow into thee, and the mountains and 
difficulties may pass away before the presence of the 
Seed who is revealed in thee ? 

Look down no more, look out no more, but dwell 
with thy Beloved in the tent that he hath pitched 
for thee. Let him do what he will, let him appear 
how he will, wait on him in the daily exercise ) stand 
still in the faith and see him working out thy salva- 
tion, and scattering the bones of them that have be- 
sieged thee. Think not hardly of him by no means ; 
question not his carrying on of his work. He knows 



70 penington's letters. 

what yet he hath to do, and what stratagem the enemy 
yet hath to surprise and entangle thee. Oh, feel his 
arm stretched out for thee ! and be not so much dis- 
couraged in the sight of what is yet to be done, as 
comforted in his good-will towards thee ! 'Tis true 
he hath chastened thee with rods and sore afflictions, 
but did he ever take away his loving-kindness from 
thee ? or did his faithfulness ever fail in the sorest, 
blackest, thickest, darkest night that ever befell thee ? 
And breathe to him for the carrying on of his work, 
that thou mayst feel his presence and life getting 
dominion over death daily in thee, more and more. 
And wait to feel strength of life, that thy growth 
may be pure, and the holy seed may have dominion 
and be all in thee. I. P. 

8th of the Eighth Month, 1666. 

POSTSCRIPT. 

The enemy will be laying snares and forging subtle 
devices to darken and bow thee down, which (thou, 
not being hasty to believe, join with, and let in as 
true, but waiting on the Lord in singleness, fear, and 
humility) his light will spring up in thee and help 
thee to discern. And, oh, how sweet will it be for 
thee, who has so often been ensnared, to escape the 
gins and nets of the fowler, and to dwell in the rest 
and peace which thy soul hath tasted of, and which 
is the proper place of thy habitation ! 

Indeed, the Lord's thoughts have not been towards 
thee as thou hast apprehended all along. His anger 



penington's letters. 71 

was towards the enemy, towards the oppressor, not 
towards thee. Nor doth he judge and smite the 
mind after that manner that the enemy doth accuse, 
but according to his own nature, sweetness, and tender 
love. And his judgments and smiting have other 
effects than the serpent's accusings and piercings, for 
they do not drive from him, but they melt, and 
tender, and prepare the heart for union with him. 
Oh, keep close to the measure of life, wherein thou 
mayst discern and distinguish these things ; and take 
heed of letting in one bowing-down thought, (how 
manifest or demonstrative soever,) but look up to him 
who hath freely loved and hath abounded in mercy 
towards thee, that, in the faith, patience, stillness, 
and meekness of his seed, thou mayst be found 
always waiting upon him in the several exercises 
wherewith he shall daily see good to exercise thee, 
till he bring forth his seed in dominion in thee, and 
thereby give thee thy desired and expected end. 

I. P. 
9th of the Eighth Month, 1666. 



72 penington's letters. 

LETTER XXV. 

ON UNRESERVED OBEDIENCE. 

To Bridget AtUy. 
Dear Friend: — 

I know thy soul desires to live ; and my soul de- 
sires that thou mightst live. Oh, why art thou so 
backward to hearken to the voice which is nigh thee, 
wherein is life? why dost thou reason ? whytiost thou 
consult ': why dost thou expect? why dost thou hope? 
why dost thou believe against thy own soul? 

The snares of the subtle one will entangle forever, 
unless thou wait for, hearken to, and obey the voice 
of the living God. who leads thee single-hearted and 
obedient out of them. Is there any way of life but 
one? Is not the Lord leading his children in that 
way? Must not all that come after follow in the foot- 
steps of those that go before ? Is there any Saviour, 
but the seed of life and the Father of it ? Is it not 
the same in thee as in others? Hath it not the same 
voice? Oh that thou hadst the same ear and the 
same heart, that thou mightst hear, receive, and live! 
They wait aright : dost thou wait so ? they hope aright : 
dost thou hope so? If not, what will thy waiting and 
expecting come to? In that, which hath sometimes in- 
clined thy heart, there is Truth, there were the begin- 
nings of salvation ; but in that, which draws thee out, to 
expect some great matters, and dries up thy present 



penington's letters. 73 

sense, and hinders thy present subjection, therein is 
deceit and the destruction of thy soul. Therefore, if 
thou desire and love the salvation thereof, oh, hasten, 
hasten out of it ! wait for the reproofs of wisdom; and 
what it manifests to be of the earthly and worldly nature 
in thee, (the words, ways, thoughts, customs thereof,) 
hasten out of. Oh, turn thy back upon the world with 
speed, and turn thy face towards the heavenly wisdom 
and light eternal ! which will be springing up in thee, if 
thou turn thy back upon the world and wait for it. 

And do not look for such great matters to begin 
with; but be content to be a child, and let the Father 
proportion out daily to thee what light, what power, 
what exercises, what straits, what fears, what troubles, 
he sees fit for thee; and do thou bow before him con- 
tinually, in humility of heart, who hath the disposal 
of thee, whether to life or death forever. Ah ! that 
wisdom which would be choosing must be confounded, 
and the low humble thing raised, which submits, and 
cries to the Father in every condition. And in wait- 
ing to feel this, and in joining to this, thou mayest 
meet with life; but death, destruction, and separation 
from God is the portion of the other forever! Oh 
that thou mayst be separated from it, and joined to 
the seed and birth of God ! that in it thy soul may 
spring up to know, serve, and worship the Lord, and 
to wait daily to be formed by him, until thou become 
perfectly like him ! But thou must join in with the 
beginnings of life, and be exercised with the day of 
small things, before thou meet with great things, 

7 



74 penington's letters. 

wherein is the clearness and satisfaction of the soul. 
The rest is at noonday; but the travels begin at the 
breakings of day, wherein are but glimmerings, or 
little light, wherein the discovery of good and evil are 
not so manifest and certain, yet there must the travel- 
ler begin to travel, and in his faithful travels (in 
much fear and trembling, lest he should err) the light 
will break in upon him more and more. 

This have I written in tenderness to thee, that thou 
mightest not miss of the path of the living, which is 
appointed of the Father to lead, and alone can lead, 
the soul to life. Oh that thou mightest be enlight- 
ened and quickened by the Lord to walk therein, and 
mightst be thankful for, and content with, what he 
gives thee, and walk therein, from the evil to the good, 
from the earthly to the heavenly nature daily, and 
mightst not despise the cross or the shame of the 
seed ! For I know there is a wisdom in thee, which will 
despise and turn from it, until the Lord batter and 
crucify it ; and I can hardly put up a more proper re- 
quest for thee, than that the Lord would draw out his 
sword against it, and deeply perplex and confound it 
in thee. I. P. 

1665. 



penington's letters. 75 



LETTER XXVI. 

AFFLICTIONS MAY WORK OUT A WEIGHT OF 
GLORY. 

To my dear suffering Friends in Scotland. 

Dear Friends and Brethren : — 

Who have partaken of the tender mercy and 
blessed visitation of the Lord. 

Oh, blessed be the Lord who pitied and helped us 
in our low estate, and whose tender love and mercy 
hath followed us from his first visiting us to this pre- 
sent day ! And indeed the Lord is with us, (what 
can we desire more ?) preparing us for himself, pre- 
serving us in the life of his blessed Truth, building 
us up more and more, and causing his Spirit of glory 
and living power to rest upon us, and the virtue 
thereof to spring up in us day by day. 

Oh, the beauty and glory of the day of our God 
increaseth upon his heritage, blessed be the name of 
the Lord ! And to what tend all the workings of the 
contrary spirit and power but to eat out its own in- 
terest and kingdom through the Lord's blessed order- 
ing of things, so that all things work together for 
good and for the advancing of Truth, and the growth 
of it in the hearts of God's heritage ? 

So, my dear friends, none look out, either at out- 
ward or inward sufferings, but to the Lord only, 



76 penington's letters. 

whose life, Spirit, and power is above them, and bears 
up all over them who are in Spirit joined to him, 
faithfully waiting upon him, which God daily teaches 
and enables his to do. Thus, my dear friends, feel 
the Lord's presence and power among you, who is 
always near his, but especially in the time of their 
straits, trials, and sufferings; and wait to feel the life 
springing and doing its proper work in each of you 
day by day ; working out what is to be wrought out 
in any, and working more and more into the glory of 
the heavenly image, that, through the sufferings, ye 
may come into the glory, and be crowned with the 
glory, virtue, holiness, righteousness, and dominion 
of life over all ; and thus, the Son may sit upon his 
throne in you, and wield his holy and righteous 
sceptre, and give you dominion in and with him over 
all that would veil life, or keep it under, in any of 
you. So, my dear friends, be strong in the Lord, 
with the strength of the Lord, with which he is 
clothing those whom he hath emptied and made weak ; 
for the trials, temptations, and afflictions, prepare for, 
and (as I may say) lead into the possession of the 
desired inheritance, where all that the soul hath 
breathed and waited for is bestowed upon it by the 
bountiful hand of the Father of mercies, who keeps 
covenant and mercy forever, and renews covenant 
and mercy day by day. 

So the tender God of my life and Father of the 
blessings and mercies of my once greatly distressed 
and miserable soul, instruct you, preserve you, watch 



penington's letters. 77 

over you, exercise your spirits most advantageously, 
daily open you to himself, keep you empty and naked 
before him of all your own clothing and righteousness, 
and fill you with that which flows from the pure 
living fountain, to the unspeakable joy of your hearts 
and the glory of his own name over all forever ! 

Be of good faith, my dear friends, look not out at 
any thing, fear none of those things ye may be ex- 
posed to suffer, either outwardly or inwardly, but trust 
the Lord over all, and your life will spring, and grow, 
and refresh you, and the love and power will purge 
out, and keep out, what would hinder its growth; 
and ye will learn obedience and faithfulness daily 
more and more, even by your exercises and sufferings ; 
yea, the Lord will teach you the very mystery of faith 
and obedience, (oh, blessed lesson !) and ye shall not 
be disappointed of your hope or crown by any thing 
the enemy can plot or bring about against you, but 
have the weight of glory increased and enlarged by 
his temptations and your many sufferings ; the wis- 
dom, power, love, and goodness of the Lord ordering 
every thing for you, and ordering your hearts in 
every thing, — you having given up to him, and keep- 
ing them continually given up to him, in the holy 
seed of Truth, in which he hath in some measure 
already joined, and is daily more and more joining 
you to himself. 

This is the salutation and tender visit of the love 
of your brother in the Truth, whose breathings are to 

God for you, and his praises unto Him ; through the 

7* 



78 penington's letters. 

sense of his being with you, and daily showing mercy 
to you, upholding and preserving you in the midst of 
your sore trials and afflictions. I. P. 

London, 5th of Fifth Month, 1676. 



LETTEE XXVII. 

an invitation to heavenly substance. 

Friend : — 

The vessel, or created nature, poisoned by sin and 
death, nothing can redeem, but the life and power of 
God revealed in the vessel. This life, this peace, this 
power, this righteousness, this salvation, is the Lord 
Jesus Christ. And he that feels any thing of this 
feels somewhat of Christ; and, being joined to and 
partaking of it, partakes somewhat of his redemp- 
tion ) for it is not by an outward knowledge, but by an 
inward virtue and spiritual life, received from Christ, 
and held in Christ, that those who are saved are 
saved. This is the thing of value with me, for which 
I have been made willing to part with all, and into 
this purchased possession am I daily travelling; and, 
in my travels, the Father of life and tender mercy 
pleaseth to help me. 

Now, to have thee gathered into this light, this 
life, this power, which is of Christ, and in which he 



penington's letters. 79 

is and appears, is the desire of my soul, in upright- 
ness of heart before the Lord, for thee : and, if he 
please, I am willing to be instrumental in his hand 
towards the bringing forth of this in thee. It is not 
my desire to bring forth new notions in thee, but 
rather that thou mightst wait on the Lord, for him 
to bring up his living, powerful Truth in thee, 
wherein the knowledge of the new and living way is 
alone revealed. 

I am a worm, I am poor, I am nothing, less than 
nothing, as in myself, weaker than I can express, or 
thou imagine ; yet in the midst of all this, the life, 
power, righteousness, and presence of Christ is my 
refreshment, peace, joy, and crown : and that to which 
I invite thee is substance, everlasting substance, 
which thou shalt know and acknowledge in spirit to 
be so, as that is created and raised in thee which can 
see and acknowledge it in Truth. Oh, wait on the 
Lord, fear before him, pray for his fear in the upright 
breathings, (which are not of thy spirit's forming, 
but of his pure begetting,) that thou may est be led 
by him out of that wisdom which entangles into that 
innocency, simplicity, and precious childishness in 
which the Father appears to the soul to break the 
bonds and snares of iniquity; for, hereby, the evil 
spirit not only involveth in iniquity, but also begets 
a belief, as if there could be no perfect redemption 
therefrom till the time of redemption be over. 

Thy truly loving friend, desiring the right guidance 
and happiness of thy soul by the Lord Jesus Christ, 



80 penington's letters. 

the alone skilful Shepherd and Guide, even as of my 
own soul. i. p. 

Aylesbury Prison, 
20th of Tenth Month, 1666. 



LETTER XXVIII. 

ADVICE RESPECTING CHURCH DISCIPLINE. 

To the Women's Meeting of Friends in the Truth, 

at John Mannock's. 
Dear Friends : — 

Dearly beloved and honored in the Lord, because 
of his honorable presence and power, which is so pre- 
ciously manifested and found to be among you in your 
meetings. 

Blessed be the Lord, who hath thus gathered you, 
and given you hearts to meet together, to feel his pre- 
cious presence and power, and wait to do his will 
therein, as he shall please to call, and make your way 
clear thereto. And blessed be the Lord, who doth 
encourage and reward you daily, and make your 
meetings pleasant and advantageous to your own souls, 
and towards the seasoning and holy watching over the 
several respective places where your lot is fallen. 

Oh, what could the Lord do more for his people than 
to turn them to that pure seed of life which will make 
them all alive, and keep them all in life and purity, 



penington's letters. 81 

and then to make use of every living member in the 
living body, as his Spirit shall please to breathe upon 
it, and his power actuate it ! And, indeed, there is 
need of all the life and power to the body which the 
Lord sees good to bestow on any member of it, — every 
member of the body having life given it, not only for 
itself, but likewise for the use and service of the body. 
Only, dear friends, here is to be the great care, that 
every member keep within the limits of life, wherein 
its capacity and ability for service lies, and out of 
which it can do no real service for God, or to the 
body. Oh, therefore, eye life, eye the power, eye the 
presence of the Lord with your spirits, that he may 
go along with you, and guide you in every thought 
ye think, in every word ye speak, in reference to his 
work and service. 

And mind, friends, what is now upon me to you : 
it is one thing to sit waiting to feel the power, and 
to keep within the limits of the power, thus far; and 
another, yea, and harder, to feel and keep within the 
sense and limits of the power when ye come to act. 
Then your reasonings, your wisdom, your apprehen- 
sions have more advantage to get up in you and to 
put themselves forth. Oh, therefore, watch narrowly 
and diligently against the forward part, and keep 
back to the life, which, though it rise more slowly, 
yet acts more surely and safely for God. 

Oh, wait and watch, to feel your Keeper keeping 
you within the holy bounds and limits, within the 
pure fear, within the living sense, while ye are acting 



82 PEXINGTOX'S LETTERS. 

for your God, — that ye may only be his instruments. 
and feel him acting in you. Therefore, every one 
wait to feel the Judge risen and up, and the judg- 
ment set in your own hearts, that what ariseth in 
you may be judged, and nothing may pass away from 
you publicly but what hath first passed the pure judg- 
ment in your own breasts j and let the holy rule of the 
blessed apostle James be always upon your spirits : — 
" Let every one be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow 
to wrath." Oh, let not a talkativeness have place 
in any of you, but abide in such gravity, modesty, 
and weightiness of spirit as becomes the judgment- 
seat of the Spirit and power of the Lord ! Ye can 
never wait too much for the power, nor can ye ever 
act too much in the power; but ye may easily act too 
much without it. 

And as for this troublesome, contentious busin 
(if the Lord should yet order it to be brought before 
you.) the Lord teach you to consider of and manage 
it in a wise, tender, and healing spirit ! Ye must dis- 
tinguish in judgment, if ye judge aright, between 
enemies and erring friends. And take heed of the 
quickness and strength of reason, — or of the natural 
part. — which avails little ; but wait for the evidence 
and demonstration of God's Spirit, which reaches to 
the witness, and doth the work. Are they in a 
snare ? are they overtaken in a fault ? yea, are they 
in measure blinded and hardened so that they can 
neither see nor feel as to this particular ? Retire, 
sit still a while, and travail for them. Feel how life 



penington's letters. 83 

will arise in any of you, and how mercy will reach 
towards them ; and how living words, from the 
tender sense, may be reached forth to their hearts, 
deeply, by the hand of the Lord, for their good. 
And, if ye find them at length bowing to the Lord, 
oh, let tender compassion help them forwards, that 
what hath been so troublesome and groundedly dis- 
satisfactory in the progress may at length have a sweet 
issue for their good, and our joy and rejoicing in the 
Lord! 

So, my dear friends, the Lord be with you and 
guide you in this and in all that he shall further call 
you to, and multiply his presence, power, and bless- 
ings upon you, and make your meetings as service- 
able to the honor of his name as he himself would 
have them, and as you yourselves can desire them 
to be. 

Your friend and brother in the tender Truth, and 
in the pure love and precious life. I. p. 

19th of Fifth Month, 1678. 



84 



PENINGTON S LETTERS. 



LETTER XXIX. 



OF PRESERVATION AND A GROWTH IN THE HEAVENLY 
LIFE; ITS POWER OVER THE EARTHLY NATURE. 

To the single, upright-hearted, and faithful friends of 
Truth in and about the two Chalfonts. 

Dear Friends : — 

Have ye in any measure drunk in the sense of what 
the Lord hath done for you ? and have ye felt meltings 
of spirit, and bowings before him, with praises to his 
name therefor ? Indeed, my request is to the Lord 
for you, that he would please to keep you truly sen- 
sible of what he already is to you, and of what he hath 
already done for you ; that he would also, of his ten- 
der mercy and great goodness, visit you yet further, 
increase life in you, cause faith to abound, give you 
to dwell in his power, and always abide in his seed, 
and feel that to be your hope, peace, joy, life, and 
strength, continually, — that ye may more and more 
give thanks unto him, as ye feel his pure life arising in 
you, and death and the grave swallowed up thereby. 

Ah, my friends, can we ever forget the lost and 
miserable estate wherein the mercy of the Lord and 
his power from on high visited us ? Oh, the blackness 
of that day, the misery, the deep distress of that day, 
which some of your souls felt ! Did ye not know 
what it was to want God, and to lie open to the furious 
assaults of the enemy, when ye felt no strength 



penington's letters. 85 

nor knew whither to retire to keep out any hurt, any 
temptation, any vain thought and imagination, or to 
give you any grounded hope in the goodness and 
mercy of the Lord ? How did ye mourn, how did ye 
cry out and pine away in your iniquities day and 
night, and knew not which way to look, nor what to 
wait for ! Are there not among you who have known 
this state and felt somewhat of that which I now re- 
late ? Sure I am, there are upon the earth who can 
witness it to the full, whose mouths and hearts are 
now filled with a sense of the Lord's goodness and of 
his great salvation, and with deep and high praises 
to his name. 

But, my dear friends, is there any of you (I know 
to whom I speak, even to the sensible, to the diligent, 
to the faithful among you) who cannot in truth wit- 
ness, as in God's presence, concerning the arm and 
power of his salvation which ye have often felt ? inso- 
much that ye can sing that song, " He hath raised 
up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his 
servant David ; as he spake by the mouth of his holy 
prophets/' Do ye not know the house of his servant 
David with the horn of salvation in it, and that horn 
raised up to you for your defence and comfort ? Yea, 
do ye not daily feel the Lord ministering out salva- 
tion to you from it? Are not your enemies daily 
overcome by the faith which he hath given you in 
his power ? May I not say to you, Where is the 
strength of the tempter? Have ye not felt the 
seed of the woman to bruise the head of the serpent ? 

8 



86 penington's letters. 

so that, in the fear of the Lord, and in the strength, 
virtue, and dominion of his life manifested in you, 
ye can say, though as yet somewhat tremblingly, 
Where are those temptations, those lusts, vain 
thoughts, and imaginations, which once I was over- 
come by and overrun with ? Surely, I may speak 
thus; for I know assuredly, that the power of the 
Lord God, as it is lifted up in any of you, scatters 
these, and gives you dominion over them. For the 
life and its power is given as a bulwark and weapon 
of war against iniquity and its power; and, where it 
is received, it opposeth, warreth, striveth, until it 
overcome. 

And this is that which gives the victory and over- 
coming, — to wit, faith in the seed. The seed felt 
the soul joined to it, faith in it and from it given to 
the soul. Then it becomes the Leader, the mighty 
undertaker, for the soul, and overcomes its snares and 
enemies for it; and, when it hath overcome them, 
they are overcome indeed. And then the soul lies 
down in peace, dwells in peace, feeds on the living 
nourishment in the green pastures of life in peace. 
Then Jerusalem, the building of life in the heart, 
becomes a quiet habitation where God and the soul 
dwell sweetly together, and there is nothing that hath 
power in it to disturb, annoy, or make afraid. Why 
so ? Because the Lord God of power is present there, 
stretcheth out his wings there, is a pillar of cloud by 
day, and a pillar of fire by night, there. He hath 
raised up his glorious life in that heart whereof 



f he 



penington's letters. 87 

is very choice, and lie hath also spread a defence over 
his glory, with which the soul is so encompassed and 
defended that it feels the walls of this city to be sal- 
vation, and its gates praise. 

Oh, my soul, travel on ! Oh, dear friends, do ye 
also travel on into the fulness of the glory of this 
state ! There is no other thing to be desired and 
waited for. This is your portion, both here in this 
world and forever. Therefore, wait in the seed of 
this life, wait to feel yet a further gathering into it, 
and a growing up in it, and give yourselves up to it 
that it may overspread and cover you. And the Lord 
God of life daily open it and manifest it more and 
more in you and to you, that ye may be more found 
in him, and yet more acceptable and pleasing in the 
eyes of your God ; and may sing praises unto him, 
not only at the foot of the hill in some true propor- 
tion and measure of his life, but in the very heights 
of Zion, even in the fulness of the measure of your 
stature in Christ, which ye are all diligently to press 
after till ye arrive at. And then there is no more to 
be done but to spread abroad into, and drink in of, 
and live in the full pleasure and safety of life forever. 
Then may ye eat freely of the tree of life, which is 
in the midst of the paradise of God, and draw water 
with joy out of the wells of salvation ! 

Therefore feel, oh, feel, in spirit, the mark of the 
high calling of God in Christ Jesus ! and be daily 
looking up to that which quickens to God and keeps 
fresh and lively in him, that none of you grow sloth- 



88 penington's letters. 

ful, drowsy, or negligent, and so, unfaithful in rela- 
tion to the great talent which God hath put into your 
hands ; and so the Lord be provoked against you and 
suffer the enemy to tempt and prevail upon you j that 
a veil come over your hearts again, and the air thicken, 
and the earthly nature cover the seed, and he that 
hath power in that earth and over that air, captivate, 
oppress, entangle, and lead you back from God again. 
Oh, cry to the Lord to keep the eye open, and the 
heart single, and the soul in the true sense and feel- 
ing, that the heavenly voice which drew you out of 
the earth may be daily heard further instructing you 
and gathering you more and more up into him who 
is your life ! So ye that fear the Lord and love his 
name, and have tasted of his goodness and powerful 
salvation, oh, hate evil ! All that his light hath 
made manifest and drawn you from, oh, take heed 
of ever dallying with again ! Oh, never hearken 
to the tempter, but pray to the Father, that ye may 
discern his baits, and at no time consult or reason 
with him, but still wait in every thing to feel the 
motion, guidance, quickening, and sweet, pure, hea- 
venly leading of the Spirit of your Father ! 

Hath the Lord spoken peace to you, peace which 
passeth man's understanding and only flows from 
him ? hath he given you any proportion of this pre- 
cious peace ? Oh, may he watch over you, and pre- 
serve you in that wisdom, in those heavenly instruc- 
tions, in that heavenly life, divine power, and holy 
conversation, wherein ye met with that peace, and 



penington's letters. 89 

wherein alone ye can enjoy and possess it; and keep 
you out of all manner of sin, lust, and foolishness, 
of the fleshly mind and spirit; for the peace is not 
there. That is the fruit of the enemy to your peace, 
and it hath of his nature in it; it always breaks 
your peace, and sows distance, difference, and divi- 
sion, between the Giver and Maker of your peace 
and you. Do ye not always (ye that are in the true 
sense and have received the holy understanding) feel 
it thus, and know it to be thus ? it is an eternal 
truth, and the eternal eye, wherever it is opened, 
witnesseth and sealeth to it. Therefore this little 
thing, this light of God in you, to which ye were at 
first directed and turned, which discovers all the 
darkness of the enemy, and all his deceits and de- 
vices, and keeps the minds of those that are stayed 
by it : in this wait, to this let your minds be still 
turned, and in it still abide, and the power and glory 
of eternal life will daily more and more appear in 
you; yea, flow and break in upon you, to the filling 
of your vessels with its virtue, and the causing of 
your hearts to abound with joy before the Lord, and 
with thanksgivings to him. 

May the God of tender mercies and everlasting 
compassions cause the bowels of his love to be daily 
yearning towards you, that you may be nursed up 
with the living food, and that which would overturn 
and destroy his work may be opposed ; that ye may 
feel it daily go on, yea, mightily preserved and 
carried on by him even till it be finished and the top 

8* 



90 pexixgton's letters. 

stone laid, and your souls, in the true and full sense 
of life. ace, grace, to him that laid the foun- 

dation, raised up, defended, and carried on the build- 
ing, and now at length hath perfected it. And thus, 
ye have hitherto witnessed in measure, ye 
shall then witness in fulness, and see that all the 
promises of God are of a precious nature, and are 
'•yen and amen" from God to the seed. 

May the life, presence, and >f the Lord be 

h y o in this seed, in your breathings after it, in 

ii joinings : it, in your abidings and waitings 
D him in it : and the L rd 1 give 
breathe after it. give you to it, give yo 

abide a/ )n him in it, and nevei 

hearken to and go out after a contrary spirit and 
wisdom, but keep you in the simplicity, lowlin 
humility, and tender spirit which is in Christ J« 
to the praise of his own name, and preservation and 
roui hearts before him forever, amen ! 

Written in the tender bowels and motion of the 
pure life, from the place of my confinement in Ay 
bury. I. P. 

1st of Third Month. 1667 



penington's letters. 91 

LETTER XXX. 

ON TRUE, LIVING, HEAVENLY KNOWLEDGE. 

To the Lady Conway. 

Dear Friend : — 

I have heard both of thy love to Truth, and of thy 
great afflictions outwardly; both which occasion a 
sense concerning thee, and breathings to the tender 
Father of my life for thee ; that thy heart may know 
and be joined to the Truth, and thou may est live and 
walk in it, reaping the sweet comfort, support, and 
satisfaction which God daily ministers in and through 
it to his gathered and preserved ones. I am satisfied 
thou hast need of comforts and support : oh that thou 
mayest be led thither, and be daily found by the Lord 
there, where the comforter doth daily delight to sup- 
ply the afflicted and suffering ones, whether inwardly 
or outwardly, with comfort. 

And, my dear friend, take heed of that wisdom and 
knowledge which is not of the seed, and which can 
be held in the mind without the springing life of the 
seed. The first day I was convinced, I was not only 
convinced in my understanding concerning the seed, 
but I felt the seed in my heart, and my heart was 
enraptured with the sense and feeling of it, and my 
great cry to the Lord was that I might faithfully 
travel through all the sufferings and death of the other 



92 penington's letters. 

part, into union with an enjoyment of it; and that 
that wisdom which was not of the pure living root and 
nature might die in me. Now, how I have been exer- 
cised and taught since is hard for me to utter. What 
poverty, what weakness, what foolishness, I have been 
led into ! how I have learned, in a sense, out of the 
reach of the comprehending, knowing mind; how 
tender I have been of every secret shining of light in 
my heart; how the Lord hath taught and enabled me 
*o pluck out my right eye, and cut off my right hand, 
and cast them from me, that I might not see with that 
eye nor work with that hand, but be greatly maimed 
in the sight of men, and in my own sight too. 

Oh, friend, wait daily to feel the seed, to feel the 
seed live in thee, and the most pleasing part of thy 
nature die, as it can live out of the seed. Oh that 
thou couldst change all old knowledge for that which 
is new and living ! The seed is the well, receive the 
seed, then thou receivest the well : let it spring, wait 
for its springing, wait to know its springing : bear all 
the trials and judgments which the Father of life sees 
necessary to prepare the heart for its springing. Oh, 
feel that which limits and subdues thoughts and brings 
them into captivity and subjection ! Be not exercised 
in things too high for thee; — David, the man after 
God's own heart, who was wiser than his teachers, 
was not; — but come out of knowledge into feeling, 
and there thou wilt find the true knowledge given, — 
arising, springing, and covering thy heart, as the 
waters cover the sea. And still wait to be taught of 



penington's letters. 93 

God, to distinguish between the outwardness of know- 
ledge, — the notional part of the thing known as it can 
be comprehended in the mind, — and the life of it, as 
it is felt and abides in the heart. 

The Lord God of my life be thy Teacher; point thy 
mind to the pure seed of the kingdom, and open it in 
thee; make thee so little that thou mayst enter into 
it, and keep thee so low and poor that thou mayst 
abide in it; managing these troublesome times in the 
outward, for thy advantage in the inward ; that the 
city and temple of the living God may be built in it, 
and thou mayst know him daily dwelling and walking 
therein. Thus mayst thou be married to the Lord, 
and become one spirit with him, finding that daily 
removing from thee, [which is to be removed, even] 
by the mighty arm and pure operation of his Spirit, 
till all that is contrary be done away ; then, may thy 
soul dwell with its Beloved in fulness of joy, life, and 
peace for evermore ! 

This is from the tender love, and fresh breathings of 
life, in thy soul's true friend and most hearty well- 
wisher. I. P. 

17th of Third Month, 1677. 



94 penington's letters. 



LETTER XXXI. 

ON DISPUTATION, AND ON HEARING WISDOM'S 
VOICE — ALSO RESPECTING THE PURITAN STATE. 

To E. Terry. 
Friend : — 

If th.e Lord hath extended favor to thee, and shown 
thee mercy, I therein rejoice on thy behalf. 

Thy desire that what thou wrotest may be looked 
upon as nothing, and that no contest may be raised 
from it, I am content fully to answer thee in • nor do 
I desire to have any advantage against thee, nor art 
thou at all disparaged in my thoughts by what thou 
hast written, but it is in my heart as nothing, and my 
love flows to thee; for I take notice of thy serious- 
ness, and what I have unity with in this letter, and 
overlook the other. 

As touching disputes, indeed, I have no love to 
them : Truth did not enter my heart that way, nor 
do I expect to propagate it in others that way; yet 
sometimes a necessity is laid upon me for the sake of 
others. And truly, when I do feel a necessity I do it 
in great fear, not trusting in my spear or bow, I mean, 
in strong arguments or wise considerations, which I 
(of myself) can gather or comprehend; but I look 
up to the Lord for the guidance, help, and demonstra- 
tion of his Spirit, that way may be made thereby in 
men's hearts for the pure seed to be reached to, 



penington's letters. 95 

wherein the true conviction and thorough conversion 
of the soul to God is witnessed. I had far rather 
be feeling Christ's life, Spirit, and power in my own 
heart, than disputing with others about them. 

Christians that truly fear the Lord have a propor- 
tion of the primitive Spirit; and, if they could learn 
to watch and wait there, where God works the fear, 
they would daily receive more and more of it, and, in 
it, understand more and more the true intent and pre- 
ciousness of the words of the Holy Scriptures. He 
that will truly live to God must hear wisdom's voice 
within, at home, in his own heart; and he that will 
have her words made known, and her spirit poured 
out to him, must turn at her reproof. Prov. i. 23. 
Indeed, I never knew, and am satisfied that none else 
can know, the preciousness of this lesson till they are 
taught it of the Lord 

There is one thing more on my heart to express, 
occasioned by thy last letter, which is this : — I have 
more unity in my heart and spirit before the Lord, 
with the Puritan state, than with the churches and 
gatherings which men have built up and run into 
since. Indeed, men have enlarged their knowledge 
and comprehension of things, but that truth of heart, 
that love, that tenderness, that unity upon Truth's 
account, which was then amongst them, many have 
made shipwreck of, and do not now know the state of 
their own souls, nor Truth in the life and power of it. 
This principle of life and truth was near me, as well 
as others; yea, with me in that day; but I wandered 



96 penington's letters. 

from it into outward knowledge, and with great seri- 
ousness, into a way of congregational worship, and 
thereby came to a great loss; and at length, for want 
of the Lord's presence, power, and manifestation of 
his love, was sick at heart. But now, the Lord, in 
great love and tender mercy, having brought me back 
to the same principle, and fixed my spirit therein, I 
discern the truth and beauty of that former estate, 
with the several runnings out from it; and find what 
was true or false therein discovered to me by the 
holy anointing which appears and teaches in that 
principle. And, friend, it is not a notion of light, 
which my heart is engaged to testify to; but that 
which enlivens, that which opens, that which gives 
to see, that wherein the power of life is felt. For 
truly, in the opening of my heart by the pure power 
was I taught to see and own the principle and seed 
of life, and to know its way of appearance; and so 
can faithfully and certainly testify that that which is 
divine ; spiritual, and heavenly is nearer man than he 
is aware, as well as that which is earthly and selfish. 

friend ! if thou canst not yet see and own the 
principle and seed of Christ's life and Spirit, nor dis- 
cern his appearance therein, yet take heed of fighting 
against it, for indeed, if thou dost, thou fightest against 
no less than the Lord Jesus Christ himself. 

I. P. 



penington's letters. 97 



LETTER XXXII. 

ADVICE AS TO SELF-DECEIT — ON THE UNITY OF 

THE SPIRIT THE YOUNGER ARE TO SUBMIT TO 

THE ELDER. 

To Miles Standi/. 

Dear M. S. :— 

Thou art often in my heart, and, indeed, I do many 
times bow unto the Father of Spirits for the preser- 
vation of whatever is good in thee, for the clear dis- 
covery to thee of what is not of his pure life, and for 
the separation of thy mind from it; that the life of 
Christ may conquer in thee, and thou thereby be fully 
redeemed to the Lord. I often inquire after thee, 
and, when I hear of any tenderness or diligence in 
thee towards the Truth, my heart rejoiceth therein. 

Dear friend, deceit is very deep, and hath much 
prevailed, but the Lord is gathering out of it, and 
preparing such by the power of his life against future 
snares. Oh, dear friend ! take heed of thy own wisdom, 
thy own sense, thy own judgment, which thou mayst 
easily, through mistake, call the Lord's : but to have 
all that is of self searched out and brought under, 
and the mind made truly sensible of, and fully sub- 
ject to the life in every thing, — this is a sore travel; 
and it is very hard to come hither, through all de- 
ceits and entanglements. The Lord entirely join thy 
mind to that, and preserve thee in that which gives 



98 penington's letters. 

thee at any time a sense of Truth, and of those who 
are in the Truth : these are to be known and honored 
in the Lord according to their growth. And take 
heed of that which prejudices and disjoins; but feel 
and cleave to that which uniteth in love, life, and 
pure power. Know that unity and fellowship, which 
is in the Spirit; and keep it, keep it in the bond of 
pure peace, and take heed, oh, forever take heed, of 
whatever would break the bond ! but that which 
makes of one mind and one judgment, one heart and 
one soul, that is the living principle, that is the living 
power which all the members of the body are to in- 
habit and be one in. And watch against the reason- 
ings of the mind and the thoughts of thy heart; 
watch to the sense, which riseth up in the fear, in 
the love, in the humility, that thou mayst feel the 
leadings of God's Spirit, and come through all that 
stands in thy way; having the help of all whom the 
Lord hath ordained and made able to be helpers to 
thee. For life is not to be limited, but we are to be 
limited by that which is of the life; and, in cases of 
doubt, it is the ordinance of the Lord for the weak 
to receive counsel and help from the strong, and for 
the lesser to be watched over and blessed by the 
greater, — by such as are more grown in the life and 
into the power. 

So, the Lord God Almighty lead thee fully into, 
and preserve thee perfectly in, the way everlasting! 

Thy friend in the true love, I. P. 

16th of Third Month, 1668. 









penington's letters. 99 

LETTER XXXIII. 

THE LOVING-KINDNESS OF THE LORD. 

To Elizabeth Walmsley, of Giles Chalfont. 

Dear Friend : — 

The thoughts of thee are pleasant to me; indeed, 
I am melted with the sense of the Lord's love to 
thee as to my own soul. 

What were we, that the Lord should stretch forth 
his arm to us, and gather us ? And what are we, 
that the Lord should daily remember us in the issu- 
ings forth of his loving-kindness and mercies ? Oh, 
his pity, his compassion, (must I forever say,) that 
my soul yet lives, and hath hope before him ! And 
canst not thou also say the same ? Oh, my friend ! 
we feel mercy and salvation from the Lord. Oh 
that he might have pure praise and service from his 
own in us ; and yet that will be little thanks to us, 
but rather a new mercy received from him. But all 
is his own, and of his own do we give him, and that 
only when he quickens, helps, and enables us to give. 
Dear friend, my desire for thee is, that the power 
and blessings of life may descend upon thee, and that 
thou mayst feel thy God near, and thy heart still 
ready to let him in and shut against all that is of a 
contrary nature to his; that thou mayst know that 
death passing upon thee, and perfected in thee, which 



100 penington's letters. 

prepares for, and lets into, the fulness of his pure, 
unspotted life. 

Thou mayst commend my dear love to thy sister, 
and to all friends, as thou hast opportunity, who 
breathe after the Lord, and desire in uprightness of 
heart to walk with him. 

I am thy friend in the affection which is of the 
Truth, I. P. 

Aylesbury, 

20th of Fourth Month, 1666. 



LETTER XXXIV. 

ON THE DANGER OF SELF-COMPLACENCY. 

To Catherine Pordage. 
Friend : — 

In truth of heart and tender love to thee it is with 
me to return answers to the chief passages in thy let- 
ter as briefly as I may. 

It hath not been my work to bring thee out of 
esteem or into esteem of persons. The Lord guide 
thee into true judgment and keep thee out of judg- 
ing, except so far as that is raised in thee which the 
Lord maketh able to judge. But I have known 
several who have spoken most gloriously and ravish- 
ingly as to the Scriptures, opening things even to 
admiration, who have been out of the mystery of 



penington's letters. 101 

Truth; and who have sparkled with the light and life 
of a wrong spirit, though they themselves knew it 
not to be so. 

It is better with him who feels his unwillingness 
and waits to be made willing by the Lord, than with 
him who thinks he is willing, and, upon his own 
search, finds and judges himself to be so. I have 
thought I had been willing in several cases, and that 
if the Lord would have showed me his will I should 
have obeyed ; which I found to be otherwise when 
the Lord came to lay the law of his Spirit and life 
upon me. This I am sure of; there is that in thee 
which is not willing to be impoverished, and I can- 
not say concerning thee, as in God's sight, that thou 
art yet separated from it. Now, while it is in thee it 
will be working in a mystery of deceivableness, hid- 
den from thy heart, which thou canst not possibly 
discern but as the seed is raised, and the pure light 
shines in thee. Thou mayst easily think better of 
thyself than indeed it is with thee; but it is hard 
for thee in this thy present state to know what and 
how thou art in the sight of the Lord. 

Thou shalt know the tenderness and melting com- 
passion of the Lord when that is broken down in 
thee towards which his tenderness is not, and that 
raised up in thee and thy mind joined to it towards 
which his tenderness is; but great and subtle work- 
ings are there in thy mind from the enemy against 
God's truth, which thou dost not discern and eschew, 
but rather embrace, as if they were true and pre- 



102 penington's letters. 

cious. If that tenderness were ministered to thee, 
either from God immediately, or from us, which thou 
expectest and desirest, (perhaps thinking thy state is 
wronged in not being so dealt with,) it might soon 
destroy thee, and that forever. 

Thus, in great plainness have I written to thee, 
and beseech thee to be willing, or rather, to look up 
to the Lord to make thee willing, to have the wound 
kept open in thee, which the condition and state of 
thy soul needs ; that it may be thoroughly searched, 
and that which is for judgment judged and de- 
stroyed ; and so thy soul everlastingly saved by the 
everlasting Physician, who is wise and skilful in 
ministering both judgment and mercy to every one 
according to their need. 

Thy friend in true, faithful, and unfeigned love 
and tenderness, I. P. 

25th of First Month, 1671. 



LETTEE XXXV. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF CHRIST' S MANHOOD. 

To Richard Roberts. 
R. R. :— 

Thou didst acquaint me that Timothy Fly, the 
Anabaptist teacher, did charge me with denying 
Christ's humanity, and also the blood of Christ, 



penington's letters. 103 

which was shed at Golgotha, without the gates of 
Jerusalem ; and that I own no other Christ but what 
is within men. 

Sure I am, that neither T. Fly, nor any other 
man, did ever hear me deny that Christ, according 
to the flesh, was born of the Virgin Mary, or that 
that was his blood which was shed without the gates 
of Jerusalem. And the Lord, who knoweth my 
heart, knoweth that such a thing never was in my 
heart ; nay, I do greatly value that flesh and blood 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and witness forgiveness of 
sins and redemption through it. Yet, if I should 
say I do not know nor partake of his flesh and blood 
in the mystery also, I should not be a faithful wit- 
ness to the Lord. For there is the mystery of God 
and of Christ; and that is the soul's food which 
gives life to the soul, even the living bread and the 
living water. For there is living bread and living 
water; and the flesh and blood in the mystery on 
which the soul feeds is not inferior in nature and 
virtue to bread and water. There is a knowing 
Christ after the flesh, and there is a knowing him 
after the Spirit, and a feeding on his Spirit and life ; 
and this doth not destroy his appearing in flesh, 
or the blessed ends thereof, but confirm and fulfil 
them. 

The owning of Christ being inwardly in his saints 
doth not deny his appearing outwardly in the body 
prepared; unless T. F. can maintain this, that the 
same Christ that appeared outwardly cannot appear 



104 pexixgtox's letters. 

inwardly. " Know ye not your own selves, how that 
Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates ?" 
2 Cor. xiii. 5. " And if Christ be in you, the body is 
dead because of sin," &c. Eom. viii. 10. u Christ 
in you, the hope of glory." Col. i. 27. u Behold, 
I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my 
voice and open the door, I will come in to him." 
Rev. iii. 20. "I will come again," saith Christ: 
Ye are now in pain, as a woman in travail, full of 
sorrow for the loss of my outward, bodily presence ; 
but I will come to you again in spirit; see John 
xvi.; and John xiv. 16, "He," that " dwelleth with 
you, shall be in you :" and then, when the Bride- 
groom is inwardly and spiritually in you, and with 
you, "your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man 
taketh from you." John xvi. 22. And so the apos- 
tles and primitive Christians did " rejoice with joy 
unspeakable, and full of glory," 1 Peter i. 8, because 
of the spiritual appearance and presence of the Bride- 
groom. And yet there is no other bridegroom, who 
now appears in spirit, or spiritually in the hearts 
of his, than He that once appeared in the prepared 
body, and did the Father's will therein. I. p. 



penington's letters. 105 



LETTER XXXVI. 

THE WAY TO LIFE NARROW HARD THINGS MADE 

EASY TO THE OBEDIENT — ALSO, SOME ANSWERS 
TO OBJECTIONS ON PRAYER, ETC. 

To Catherine Povdage. 
Friend : — 

It is true, the way to life is so difficult and intricate 
that none can find it but such as are lighted by the 
Lord and follow the guidance of his Spirit. 

Christ, who preached the kingdom, and bid men 
seek it, yet said, " Strait is the gate and narrow is 
the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be 
that find it." In a race, many run, but one obtaineth 
the prize. Canst thou read what Christ said, " Ex- 
cept ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his 
blood, ye have no life in you ;" that seemed a hard 
saying to some of his own disciples, many of whom 
left him. And truly, friend, as it is not an easy 
thing to come into the way, so neither is it an easy 
thing to abide in the way; for many are the by- 
paths, many and great the temptations, both on the 
right hand and on the left. The way was always 
the same, full as difficult and hard formerly as now ) 
but the states and conditions of some make it harder 
to them than it is to others ; yea, it is easier now than 
it hath been in many foregoing generations, being 
prepared and cast up by the Lord. 



106 penington's letters. 

It is sad, indeed, that any should be convinced of 
Truth, and not come into subjection to it; yet it is 
very easy and common. For men cannot withstand 
conviction, when it comes in power; but they may 
deny obedience to that which they are convinced of; 
nay, some in the apostles' day went further, even to 
taste of the heavenly gift, and powers of the world to 
come, and to partake of the Holy Ghost, and yet fall 
away. Was not this very sad? and yet this was no 
well-grounded objection against the Truth and way 
of God then. Indeed, I make little of the illumina- 
tion of the understanding, without subjection to Him 
that illuminateth, in those things wherein he illumi- 
nateth. But that is a great mistake, to suppose I 
did condemn any waiting or praying that is accord- 
ing to a true illumination and leading of God's 
Spirit; for the true light and spirit are not separated; 
but the exceptions I have against the prayers of pro- 
fessors is, that they are so much out of the true illumi- 
nation, in a light of their own apprehending, forming, 
and conceiving. Now, these are but the limits of 
the fleshly birth, out of which comes nothing that is 
pleasing to the Father. 

Did I, or any of us, ever affirm, that the forbear- 
ance of the means was the way to attain the end ? 
But the setting up or using a false means is not the 
way to attain the true end. " So run," said the 
apostle, " that ye may obtain ;" did he not forbid all 
running, but the right running ? The praying of 
the fleshly birth, or in the will, and according to the 



penington's letters. 107 

wisdom of the flesh, is not the means or way to obtain 
the everlasting kingdom • but the prayers of the true 
birth are. And, if I should say thus again and 
again to thee, So pray, as that thou mayst obtain 
what thou prayest for, I should not be thine enemy 
therein; for it is easy asking amiss, not so easy to 
ask aright. Prayer is a gift; and he that receiveth 
it must first come to the sense of his own inability, 
and so wait to receive, and, perhaps, begin but with 
a groan or a sigh from the true Spirit, and thus grow 
in ability from the same Spirit, denying the ability 
which is after the flesh : this latter abounds in many, 
who mistake and err in judgment, not waiting on the 
Lord, to be enabled by him rightly to judge and dis- 
tinguish between flesh and spirit, but are many times 
willingly ignorant in this particular, it will cost so 
dear to come to a true understanding therein. 

Hath not all flesh had some manifestation of God's 
Spirit allotted it? was not that which might be 
known of God manifest in the Gentiles ? and ought 
not all flesh, in that, to call upon the Lord, as the 
true sense is given them therefrom? But because 
of this, might the heathen pray according to their 
own imagination ? Is there not a rule of prayer ? 
Is not God's light, God's gift, God's Spirit, the rule 
to all ? Is any prayer required or accepted out of 
this ? Indeed, he that hath the sense of being but 
a dog, as I may say, and not worthy to be counted a 
child, yet may pray for crumbs, and be heard, and 
receive them. But what are prayers out of the 



108 penington's letters. 

light and life of God's Spirit ? are they not prayers 
of the fleshly birth, fleshly will, fleshly wisdom ? can 
they that are in the flesh, or pray in the flesh, please 
God ? Oh forsake thy own wisdom, reasonings, will, 
and desires! that thou mayst come to true under- 
standing in this particular. 

As to stirring up the gift, 2 Tim. i. 6, Paul knew 
to whom he wrote: Timothy had a great understand- 
ing, and both knew the gift and how to stir it up; 
but he that hath not a true understanding may stir 
up somewhat else, instead of stirring up the gift, and 
so kindle a fire of his own, and offer up his own 
sacrifice, with his own fire, neither of which are ac- 
ceptable to the Lord. 

The troubled soul is not only to go to the Lord, 
but it must be taught by him, how to go to Him. 
The Lord is the Teacher; and this is a great lesson, 
which the soul cannot learn of itself, but as it is 
taught by him. Men abound in their several ways 
in religion, in that which God is arising to scatter 
and confound ; so that it is not the great and main 
work to be found doing, but to be found doing aright , 
from the true teachings, and from the right Spirit. 

In the time of great trouble, there may be life 
stirring underneath, and a true and tender sense, and 
pure desires, in which there may be a drawing nigh 
and breathing of heart to the Lord ; but, in the time 
of trouble and great darkness, may not a man easily 
desire amiss, and pray amiss, if he have not his 
Guide ? A little praying from God's Spirit, and in 






penington's letters. 109 

that which is true and pure, is better than thousands 
of vehement desires in one's own will, and after the 
flesh. For, as long as a man prayeth thus, that 
which should die in him lives in his very prayers; 
and how shall it ever be destroyed, if it get food and 
gain strength there ? But, life and virtue may be 
felt, and that which troubleth be near too, and greatly 
troubling. Did Christ feel neither life nor virtue, in 
the time of his great trouble ? 

We neither lay weight on outward things, as con- 
sidered in themselves, nor take off from the inward. 
Ah ! consider what spirit this charge comes from ; 
and if thou discern it, take heed of joining to it, and 
bringing forth the fruits of it any more, What if 
God hath chosen weak and foolish things to the eye 
of man's wisdom, now, as formerly ? Do we, in so 
testifying, lay any more weight thereupon than God 
layeth ? And what if God hath thrown by all preach- 
ings, prayings, singings, (yea, inward,) which are not in 
his Spirit, but from the transforming spirit and birth ? 
Do we herein debase or testify against any thing that 
is inwardly of God ? The outward which is right in 
God's sight must come from the inward, but not 
from the inward will or wisdom of the flesh, but 
from the inward light and Spirit of God; but it is 
a great matter to receive singly and go along with 
the inward light, and avoid the inward, deceitful ap- 
pearance of things. 

There is one thing hath been with me all along, 
still throughout thy letter, even a cry to thee for 

10 



110 penington's letters. 

obedience, obedience to the Spirit and power of the 
Lord; and to consider whether disobedience hath 
not drawn this darkness and power of the enemy 
upon thee. It is not thy proper work to look out at 
the way, or think it hard, (for it is not so to the 
true seed,) but to be travelling in faithfulness, as 
thou art drawn and led; and this will save thee much 
sorrow. 

As for Christ being a Mediator and Reconciler, it 
is by his death and life ; both of which are partaken 
of, in the light which comes from him, even in the 
grace and truth which he dispenseth. For, as God 
wrought all in him by the fulness which he bestowed 
on him, so he works all in his by a measure of the 
same Spirit, life, and power. But why dost thou so 
desire to be able to comprehend and reason about 
these things ? that is not thy present work, but to 
feel after and be joined to that whereby Christ re- 
neweth and changeth the mind, and wherein he gives 
the knowledge of his good, and acceptable, and per- 
fect will. Take heed of being exalted above measure, 
or desiring to know the things of the kingdom after 
the flesh ; for it is better to lie low, and as a child 
to enter the kingdom, and to receive the knowledge 
of the things of God there, than to be feeding that 
knowing mind, which is to be kept out and famished. 

Ah, watch, that thou mayst not lose thy Leader, 
and meet with the deceiver, instead of Him that is 
true; and so go back from light, life, truth, and 
power, instead of going forwards towards them. In- 



penington's letters. Ill 

deed, this letter of thine makes me afraid, as Paul 
speaketh to the Galatians, lest I have bestowed labor 
on thee in vain ; for there seems to me to be in thee 
a strengthening of thy mind towards returning back 
to that from which the Lord in his mercy hath been 
redeeming and gathering thee. If thou feel the right 
seed, and come to be of the right seed, the way of the 
seed will not be too hard for thee; otherwise, it will. 

This is to thee, in love and grief, from thy soul's 
true friend, I. P. 

21st of Sixth Month, 1671. 



LETTER XXXVII. 

THE SCRIPTURES EXCEEDINGLY PRECIOUS THE 

GOSPEL A MINISTRATION OF THE SPIRIT OF LIEE 
IN CHRIST JESUS — THE LIABILITY OF LOSING 
THE SENSE AND SAVOR OF THIS. 

Professors have long known the name of Christ, 
and what the Scripture relateth concerning him so 
named ; but oh that they could once know Christ 
[himself] and receive him into their vessels, and feel 
life flowing from him into them ! Then would they 
indeed know Christ according to the Spirit; which 
knowledge quickeneth, but the literal knowledge 
killeth. For he that hath the Son, he that is in true 
union with him, and really changed by him, so as to 
become one nature and Spirit with him, he hath 



112 I'ENINGTOX's LETTERS. 

life; but he that hath not the Son hath not the life 
of the Son, nor the liberty of the Son, but it is in 
the death of sin, and in service unto sin. 

The directions from God's Holy Spirit in the 
Scriptures are exceedingly weighty and precious in 
themselves, and very proper to the several states to 
which they were given forth j and blessed is he who 
is found in the practice and observation of them. 
And it hath been the desire of my heart from my 
childhood, and still is, that I might be found walking 
with the Lord, according to what is there taught and 
prescribed to the children of God, in the several 
fore^oino; ages and generations ; which things were 
written and are useful for our instruction also, being 
read by us, and heeded in that which gives the true 
understanding of them. 

But, though this was my desire, yet, in my way tu 
attain this, I missed; for I thought that by getting 
the directions of Scripture into my mind, and ap- 
plying myself to the strict observation of them, and 
praying for God's Spirit and help, I might obtain 
what I desired. And, truly, the Lord was merciful 
to me, and did help me, in a great measure, to walk 
uprightly and lowlily with him, and inoffensively 
before men ; yet not so but that I often felt the 
temptations and darkness of the enemy nearer me 
than my rule, and in many cases knew not what to 
do, nor how to be resolved from the Scriptures. 

At length the Lord greatly distressed me, and 
brought me to a fuller sense of my want of his 









penington's letters. 113 

Spirit and power, and dashed all my religion in 
pieces ; that I was just like Babylon, for in one hour 
judgment and desolation came upon me, Rev. xviii. 
10 ; and I knew not what to do without the Lord, 
nor which way to draw nigh to him ; but then was 
the Lord preparing for me that day of mercy which 
since, in his tender goodness, is broken in upon me. 
And now the eye which he hath opened in me seeth 
that the gospel is a ministration of the Spirit and 
power of the Lord Jesus Christ; and that he who 
would be his disciple indeed must be turned to his 
Spirit, and receive the immediate light and shinings 
of his Spirit into his vessel, and must feel the law 
of life, the holy laws of the new covenant, not com- 
prehended outwardly in his mind, but written in- 
wardly in his heart by the finger of God's Spirit. 
And, being written in his heart, they have power 
over his heart, and cause him to obey them ; so that, 
being here, he cannot possibly but fulfil the holy 
directions of the Scriptures, he being in that from 
which they came, which reveals the substance of 
them unto him, and makes them living and powerful 
in him. For, indeed, the law of sin and death hath 
power over a man so long as he liveth ; but, when he 
meets with that which kills sin and death in him, 
and maketh him alive to God, and he receives life in 
abundance in and through the Lord Jesus Christ; 
then the fruits of life become easy and natural to 
him, and the fruits and ways of sin, unbelief, and 
disobedience unnatural; and here the yoke is easy 

10* 



114 penington's letters. 

and the burden light, and none of the command- 
ments of our Lord Jesus Christ grievous. But take 
them merely out of the letter, not feeling the Spirit 
leading into them, and quickening and enabling to 
the performance of them, oh, how heavy, how hard 
are they ! How impossible to believe aright, hope 
aright, pray aright, walk aright, watch aright over 
the heart, fight against the enemies, lusts, and cor- 
ruptions aright, &c. On the other hand, how plea- 
sant is the way of life in the covenant of life, in the 
power and virtue of life, and ministered from the 
Spirit of our God ! and here he is praised, and vic- 
tory over his enemies witnessed, and peace with him 
enjoyed in the pure seed of life, blessed be the name 
of our God forever ! For the letter or description 
of things is not the way; but the life is the way, 
the Spirit the way, the power the way, the truth as 
it is in Jesus the way, which none can truly and 
rightly know, but as they are ingrafted into and 
formed in him, and he formed in them ; this is only 
obtained, witnessed, and preserved in the soul's union 
and communion with and obedience to his Spirit and 
power inwardly revealed and made manifest. 

Friend, there is somewhat further in my heart 
towards thee, which I have the true and certain sense 
of, which is this : the Lord, who is near thee with 
his Holy Spirit and power, hath been begetting life 
in thee, and hath at times given thee a true sense 
and discerning, in some measure ; but there is also 
somewhat near thee which watcheth to destroy and 



penington's letters. 115 

devour what the Holy Spirit of God begets in thee, 
and to beget another sense and belief in thee, differ- 
ent therefrom, and indeed contrary thereto. Now, it 
behooveth thee exceedingly to watch, and to pray to 
the Lord for help j for the life of thy soul depends 
upon the one of these, and death and destruction will 
inevitably break in upon thee, and have power over 
thee, if thou hearken to the other Whom doth the 
enemy so much strive to devour as the sheep and 
inheritance of the Lord ? And they are only pre- 
served in the Lord's way, and in subjection to his 
Spirit. Oh, how many hath the enemy betrayed and 
deceived of the life of their souls ! how many men's 
spirits are now cankered, and the good long ago eaten 
out of them, who had once some tenderness and up- 
right breathings after the Lord ; but now their silver 
is become dross, and their wine mixed with water, so 
that the very nature and property of it is changed ; 
the salt having lost its savor, wherewith shall it be 
seasoned ? I mention this to thee, that thou mayest 
watch and pray; that thou thyself do not lose thy 
savor, and sense, and tenderness, which the Lord at 
some times kindleth in thee, by hearkening to the 
subtle reasonings and suggestions of another spirit, 
either in thyself or others. 

This is in the nakedness of my heart, as in the 
Lord's sight, and in the truth of friendship towards 
thee. i. p. 

27th of Ninth Month, 1670. 



116 penington's letters. 



LETTER XXXVIII. 

THE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF CHRIST BELIEVERS 

MAY PARTAKE THEREOF THROUGH OBEDIENCE, 
AND BE PRESERVED FROM EVERY HARM. 

To Friends of both the dial fonts. 

Oh, the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, the 
riches of love, mercy, life, power, and grace of our 
God which are treasured up for the soul in the Lord 
Jesus, and are freely dispensed and given out by 
him to them that come unto him, wait upon him, 
abide in him, and give up faithfully to the law of 
his life; whose delight it is to be found in subjec- 
tion and obedience to the light and requirings of his 
Spirit. 

Feel, my friends, oh, feel your portion, and abide 
in that wherein the inheritance is known, received, 
and enjoyed. For there is no knowing Christ truly 
and sensibly but by a measure of his life felt in the 
heart, whereby it is made capable of understanding 
the things of the kingdom. The soul without him is 
dead : by the quickenings of his Spirit it comes to a 
sense and capacity of understanding the things of 
God. Life gives it a feeling, a sight, a tasting, a 
hearing, a smelling of the heavenly things, by which 
senses it is able to discern and distinguish them from 
the earthly things. And from this measure of life 






penington's letters. 117 

the capacity increaseth, the senses grow stronger; it 
sees more, feels more, tastes more, hears more, smells 
more. Now, when the senses are grown up to 
strength, then comes settlement and stability, assu- 
rance and satisfaction. Then the soul is assured of 
and established concerning the things of God in the 
faith, and the faith gives assurance to the under- 
standing, so that doubtings and disputes in the mind 
fly away, and the soul lives in the certain demonstra- 
tion, and fresh sense and power of life. It daily 
feels the eternal Word and power of life to be, in the 
heart and soul, what is testified of it in the Scripture. 
It knows the flesh and blood of the Lamb, the water 
and wine of the kingdom, the bread which comes 
down from heaven into the vessel, from all other 
things, by its daily feeding on it, and converse with 
it in spirit. What heart can conceive the righteous- 
ness, the holiness, the peace, the joy, the strength 
of life that is felt here ! 

For, friends, there is no straitness in the Foun- 
tain. God is fulness; and it is his delight to empty 
himself into the hearts of his children ; and he doth 
empty himself according as he makes way in them, 
and as they are able to drink in of his living virtue. 
Therefore, where the soul is enlarged, where the 
senses are grown strong, where the mouth is opened 
wide, (the Lord God standing ready to pour out of 
his riches,) what should hinder it from being filled ? 
And, being filled, how natural is it to run over, and 
break forth inwardly in admiration and deep sense of 



_ 



118 penington's letters. 

spirit concerning what it cannot utter, saying, Oh, 
the fulness, oh, the depth, height, breadth, and 
length of the love ! oh, the compassion, the mercy, 
the tenderness of our Father ! How hath he pitied, 
how hath he pardoned beyond what the heart could 
believe ; how hath he helped in the hour of distress ; 
how hath he conquered and scattered the enemies, 
which, in the unbelief, the heart was ready often to 
say were unconquerable, and that it should one day 
die by the hand of one or other of its mighty ene- 
mies, lusts, and corruptions. How hath he put an 
end to doubts, fears, disputes, troubles, wherewith 
the mind was overwhelmed and tossed ; and now he 
extends peace like a river ; now he puts the soul forth 
out of the pit into the green pastures; now it feeds 
on the freshness of life and is satisfied, and drinks of 
the river of God's pleasure and is delighted, and 
sings praise to the Lamb, and Him that sits on the 
throne, saying, Glory, glory ! life, power, dominion, 
and majesty, over all the powers of darkness, over 
all the enemies of the soul, be to thy name for ever- 
more ! 

Now, my dear friends, ye know somewhat of this, 
and ye know the way of it. Oh, be faithful, be 
faithful ! travel on, travel on ; let nothing stop you ; 
but wait for and daily follow the sensible leadings of 
that measure of life which God hath placed in you, 
which is one with the fulness, and into which the 
fulness runs daily and fills it that it may run into 
you and fill you. Oh that ye were enlarged in your 



penington's letters. 119 

own hearts, as the bowels of the Lord are enlarged 
towards you ! It is the day of love, of mercy, of 
kindness, of the working of the tender hand, of the 
wisdom, power, and goodness of our God, manifested 
richly in Jesus Christ ! Oh, why should there be any 
stop in any of us ? The Lord remove that which stands 
in the way ; and in the faithful waiting on the power 
which is arisen the Lord doth remove, yea, the Lord 
doth remove ; and growth in his truth and power is 
witnessed by those that wait upon him. So, my dear 
friends, be encouraged to wait upon the Lord in the 
pure fear, in the precious faith and hope which is of 
him ; and ye will see and feel ; he will exalt the horn 
of his Anointed in you over the horn of that which 
is unanointed, and will sweep, and cleanse, and 
purify, even till he hath left no place for the impure : 
and then ye shall become his full dwelling-place, the 
place of his rest, the place of his delight, the place 
of his displaying his pure life and glory; and he will 
be your perfect dwelling-place for evermore ! 

May the Lord God in his tender mercy, and be- 
cause of his deep and free love unto us, guide our 
hearts daily more and more in the travel, and into 
the possession of this ; that every soul may inherit 
and possess, notwithstanding all its enemies, what it 
hath travelled into, and may also daily further and 
further travel into what is yet before. I. P. 

Aylesbury Jail, 

2d and 3d of Sixth Month, 1667. 



120 penington's letters. 



postscript. 
Friends : — 

Be not discouraged because of your soul's enemies. 
Are ye troubled with thoughts, fears, doubts, imagi- 
nations, reasonings, &c. ? yea, do ye see yet much in 
you unsubdued to the power of life ? Oh, do not 
fear it; do not look at it so as to be discouraged by 
it; but look to Him; look up to the power which is 
over all their strength ; wait for the descending of 
the power upon you ; abide in faith of the Lord's 
help, and wait in patience till the Lord arise, and 
see if his arm do not scatter what yours could not. 
So be still before him, and in stillness believe in his 
name; yea, enter not into the hurryings of the 
enemy, though they fill the soul ; for there is some- 
what to which they cannot enter, from whence pa- 
tience, faith, and hope will spring up in you, even in 
the midst of all that they can do. 

Therefore, into this sink ; in this lie hid in the 
evil hour, and the temptations will pass away, and 
the tempter's strength be broken, and the arm of the 
Lord, which brake him, be revealed ; and then ye 
shall see that he raised but a sea of trouble to your 
souls to sink himself by; and the Lord will throw 
the horse and his rider, which trampled upon and rode 
over the just in you, into that sea; and ye shall stand 
upon the bank and sing the song of Moses to Him 
that drowned him, and delivered you from him ; and 
in due season ye shall sing the song of the Lamb also, 




penington's letters. 121 

when his life springs up in you in his pure dominion, 
triumphing over death, and all that is contrary to 
God both within and without. 

Now, friends, in a sensible waiting and giving up 
to the Lord in the daily exercise, by the daily cross 
to that in you which is not of the life, this work will 
daily go on, and ye will feel from the Lord that 
which will help, relieve, refresh, and satisfy; which 
neither tongue nor words can utter. And may the 
Lord God breathe upon you, preserve and fill you 
with his life and Holy Spirit, to the growth and re- 
joicing of your souls in Him who is our blessed Fa- 
ther and merciful Redeemer ; in the Lord Jesus 
Christ, our Head and King forever and for ever- 
more ! 

And then as to what may befall us outwardly in 
this confused state of things, shall we not trust our 
tender Father, and rest satisfied in his will ? Are 
we not engraven in his heart, and on the palms of 
his hands, and can he forget us in any thing he 
doth? Shall anything hurt us? Shall any thing 
come between us and our life, between us and his 
love, and tender care over us? What though the fig- 
tree should not blossom, neither there be any fruit in 
the vine ; what though the labor of the olive should 
fail, and the fields yield no meat ; what though the 
flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd 
in the stalls; may we not, for all this, rejoice in the 
Lord, and joy in the God of our salvation? And 
what though the earth be removed, and the moun- 

11 



122 



penington's letters. 



tains carried into the midst of the sea ; what though 
the waters thereof roar and be troubled, and the 
mountains shake with the swelling thereof; is there 
not a river, the streams whereof make glad the city 
of God? Is not the joy, the virtue, the life, the 
sweet refreshment thereof, felt in the holy place of 
the tabernacle of the Most High ? And He that 
provides inward food for the inward man, inward 
clothing, inward refreshment, shall he not provide 
also sufficient for the outward ? Yea, shall he not 
bear up the mind, and be our strength, portion, 
armor, rock, peace, joy, and full satisfaction in every 
condition ? For it is not the condition makes mise- 
rable; but the want of him in the condition : he is 
the substance of all, the virtue of all, the life of all, 
the power of all ; he nourisheth, he preserveth, he 
upholdeth, with the creatures or without the crea- 
tures, as it pleaseth him ; and he that hath him, he 
that is with him, he that is in him, cannot want. 
Hath the spirit of this world content in all that it 
enjoys? No: it is restless, it is unsatisfied. But 
can tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, naked- 
ness, peril, or sword, come between the love of the 
Father to the child, or the child's rest, content, and 
delight in his love ? And doth not the love, the 
peace, the joy, the rest felt, swallow up all the bit- 
terness and sorrow of the outward condition ? 

The seed, the godliness, the uprightness, the true 
nature and birth, hath not only the promise of eter- 
nal life; but also whatever is necessary for the vessel 



penington's letters. 123 

wherein it dwells in this life too. So dwell in that 
to which is the promise, and live upon the promise ; 
yea, live upon that which cannot miss of the promise, 
but feels the presence and power of the Father in 
all and over all. The just lives by his faith ; and he 
that is in union with the just lives by the faith of 
the just, and takes no more care than the lilies, but 
leaves the care of all to Him to whom it properly be- 
longs, and who hath taken it upon him ; who nour- 
ishes, clothes, preserves, and causes the lilies of the 
field to grow and flourish in beauty and glory : and 
shall he not much more clothe, nourish, and take 
care of his own lilies, the heavenly lilies, the lilies 
of his garden ? 

Let us, then, not look out like the world, or judge 
or fear according to the appearance of things after 
the manner of the world; but let us sanctify the 
Lord of hosts in our hearts, and let him be our fear 
and dread; and he shall be an hiding-place unto us 
in the storms, and in the tempests, which are coming 
thick upon the earth. 

Thus, my dear friends, let us retire and dwell in 
the peace which God breathes, and lie down in the 
Lamb's patience and stillness, night and day, which 
nothing can wear out or disturb; and so the preser- 
vation of the poor and needy shall be felt to be in 
his name ; and glory shall be sung to his name over 
all, which is a strong tower, a mighty, impregnable 
rock of defence against all assaults and dangers what- 
soever; which they that have trusted therein have 



1:24 penington's letter-. 

already experienced it to be; and they that continue 
trusting therein shall always experience it so to be in 
all trials and dangers, whatever may happen, of what 
kind soever, even to the end. Amen. 



LETTER XXXIX. 



FAITHFUL DEALING BETWEEN BRETHREN RECOM- 
MENDED. 

Dear Friend: — 

I have heard that thou hast somewhat against 
W. B.., whereupon thou forbearest coming to meet- 
ings at his house : this thou oughtst seriously to weigh 
and consider, that thy path and walking herein may 
be right and straight before the Lord. Is the thing 
or are the things which thou hast against him fully 
so as thou apprehendest ? Hast thou seen evil in 
him, or to break forth from him ? and hast thou con- 
sidered him therein, and dealt with him as if it had 
been thy own case ? Hast thou pitied him, mourned 
over him, cried to the Lord for him, and, in tender 
love and meekness of spirit, laid the thing before 
him ? And if he hath refused to hear thee, hast 
thou tenderly mentioned it to others, and desired 
them to go with thee to him, that what is evil and 
offensive in him might be more weightily and advan- 
tageously laid before him for his humbling, and for 
his recovery into that which is a witness and strength 






penington's letters. 125 

against the evil ? If thou hast proceeded thus, thou 
hast proceeded tenderly and orderly, according to the 
law of brotherly love, and God's witness in thy con- 
science will justify thee therein. But if thou hast 
let in any hardness of spirit or hard reasonings against 
him, or hard resolutions as relating to him, the wit- 
ness of God will not justify thee in that. 

And if at any time hereafter thou hast any thiog 
against others, oh, learn from that of God in thee to 
show compassion towards them, even as the Lord has 
had pity on thee ! And keep to his witness in thy 
heart; wait to feel the seed, and to keep thy dwell- 
ing therein, that thou mayst abide in the peace and 
rest thereof, and not depart out of thy habitation, out 
of the sense of Truth ; for that will let in tempta- 
tion upon thee, give the enemy strength against thee, 
and fill thy soul with anguish and perplexity. 

So, the Lord God of infinite tenderness renew his 
mercy upon thee, and keep thee in that wherein his 
love, life, rest, joy, peace, and unspeakable comfort 
of his Holy Spirit, (which keeps the mind out of all 
the snares and temptations of that which is unholy,) 
is felt and witnessed by those who are taught and 
enabled of him to abide and dwell in that into which 
he hath gathered them, and in which he hath pleased 
to appear unto them. 

This is, in the love and tender goodness of the 
Lord, to thee, from thy friend in the Truth and for 
the Truth's sake. i. p. 

13th of Tenth Month, 1667. 

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